Tom Izzo guides Michigan State back to Sweet 16 with win over Marquette
Michigan State will meet Kansas State in the East Region semifinals
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tyson Walker scored 23 points and No. 7 seed Michigan State beat second-seeded Marquette 69-60 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, sending coach Tom Izzo's squad back to the Sweet 16 for the first time in four years.
Joey Hauser — a Marquette transfer — had 14 points and A.J. Hoggard had as 13 Michigan State (21-12) took over in the last three minutes. The Spartans advanced to play third-seeded Kansas State in the East Region semifinals on Thursday at New York's Madison Square Garden.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Michigan State forward Malik Hall (25) celebrates a turnover by Marquette in the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the men's NCAA Tournament in Columbus, Ohio, Sunday, March 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
It's a familiar situation for Izzo, the 68-year-old Hall of Fame coach who won his 16th March Madness game with a lower-seeded team, the most of any coach. He had shared that record with Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, who retired after this season.
This one was particularly meaningful. Izzo became the face of a grieving school where three students were killed in a campus shooting on Feb. 13.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts to a call against Marquette in the second half of a second-round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament Sunday, March 19, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It's been a long year," an emotional Izzo said in a courtside interview. "I'm just happy for our guys."
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Marquette forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper (12) celebrates three-point basket with head coach Shaka Smart in the second half of a second-round college basketball game against Michigan State in the men's NCAA Tournament in Columbus, Ohio, Sunday, March 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Olivier-Maxence Prosper led Marquette (29-7) with 16 points and Kam Jones had 14 points, including three 3-pointers.