5 Takeaways: Michigan State upsets Marquette to advance to Sweet 16
Michigan State is headed back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019 after the 7th-seeded Spartans upset 2-seed Marquette, 69-60, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Here are five takeaways from the victory for MSU:
1.) Tyson Walker comes up huge down the stretch
When Michigan State has needed a guy to go get a bucket at key moments this season, Tyson Walker has been their go-to option and he put the Spartans on his back in the closing moments of this one as well.
First, the senior knocked down a clutch, midrange jumper to extend MSU's lead to seven with 1:19 left. After a defensive stop, Walker converted two free throws and then sealed the victory with a steal and a slam to put Michigan State up 11 with less than 45 seconds to play.
Walker finished with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor and 7-of-8 from the foul line.
2.) Spartans suffocating defense
Michigan State came out of the gates and smothered Marquette with its halfcourt defense early in this game, which allowed the Spartans to build an early 13-point lead.
While the Golden Eagles eventually closed the gap, MSU's intensity on the defensive end made Marquette uncomfortable throughout the night, and it showed up big midway through the second half.
Michigan State went through some offensive lulls as shots refused to fall, but the Spartans forced turnover after turnover from the Golden Eagles to maintain a close lead during this decisive stretch.
Marquette came into this game with the reputation of turning over their opponents at a high rate, and this did force MSU into 13 turnovers. However, the Spartans countered with their own opportunistic defense, forcing the Golden Eagles into 16 giveaways.
3.) Early season Mady!
Mady Sissoko has had an up and down junior season, starting off great in early non-conference games but struggling against some of the better frontcourts in the Big Ten Conference.
Tonight against Marquette, Sissoko was sensational. The junior battled through foul trouble and made multiple key plays on both ends of the floor down the stretch for the Spartans. This included a timely reverse layup, and two huge blocks to prevent easy layups for the Golden Eagles.
Sissoko finished with eight points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks and his fingerprints were all over this game. Additionally, give credit to freshman Carson Cooper, who once again filled in great off the bench.
4.) Double-Double for Hauser, Hoggard's gritty effort
Fifth-year senior Joey Hauser has had much better games than the one he had today, but he was big on the glass throughout the game for Michigan State and came up with timely buckets down the stretch to finish with a double-double — 14 points and 10 rebounds.
This one had to mean a little extra for Hauser, who played one season at Marquette before transferring to MSU. He was booed loudly by the Golden Eagle crowd during pre-game introductions, but Hauser and the Spartan faithful got the last laugh with a resounding chants of "Joey, Joey, Joey" in the final seconds that brought an emotional smile to Tom Izzo's face.
Meanwhile, A.J. Hoggard gritted out a tough game to finish with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, with four assists and three rebounds. The junior point guard was tasked with handling the defensive pressure that Marquette brings, and while he finished with five turnovers, three of those came on offensive fouls — the last of which was a poor call by the referee.
5.) Spartans go ice cold from deep
Michigan State ended the regular season shooting red-hot from 3-point range, but that has not carried over to tournament play.
The Spartans shot just 2-for-16 from distance in this one, with several uncharacteristic misses on wide open looks. MSU went 3-for-16 from long range in the Big Ten Tournament against Ohio State, and 5-for-14 from deep in their first round game against USC on Friday.
Michigan State entered the NCAA Tournament as the fourth-best 3-point shooting team in the country. With the improved defense that Spartans have shown so far in these past two game, this team can really make some noise if they rediscover that shooting stroke.
