Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz and former Big 12 player of the year Marcus Morris Sr. react to the Spartans 71-63 victory over the Lobos in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

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Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

Michigan State starts slow but ends up pulling away and they get a big win over New Mexico.

Marcus Morris Senior, I’m Jason Fitz.

Let’s break it down.

Michigan State wins 71 to 63, and Marcus, I feel like we’ve been talking about this for about a week.

It’s not any one player for Michigan State.

It’s the sum of the parts that continues to dominate and it makes them a tough out, particularly in the second half of games.

You said it correct.

The bench came and delivered 36 points from the bench.

Man, that’s a lot, bro.

I’m telling you, if they can get this production in the tournament, they have a real chance of going to the Final Four.

The bench almost had more than half the points in this game, man, if not all, if not half.

And, and I didn’t think coming into this tournament that they could survive a terrible night for Jase Richardson.

And that was tonight.

He couldn’t buy a bucket.

Even Izzo admitted that after the game.

I’m surprised to see JaceP so low on the overall box score and such a small part of the game and still see them find a way to pull away.

It just speaks to the fact that they have next man up mentality in the way that they built this entire roster.

Definitely they death is killer, man, you know.

We all know that Michigan State hang their hat on defense and we knew that it would be the point of time in this tournament where they couldn’t score, but they had a good senior guard play.

Jaden Aiken stepped up with a close game around 7 minutes and hit a big 3, and I felt like the lead just opened up for Michigan State.

Yeah, now they’re gonna get the 6 seed Ole Miss.

What do you think?

Ole Miss is playing really well.

Michigan State.

Surprisingly, man, they can win games without scoring the ball, it’s gonna be hard to beat this team.

Yeah, well, keep one thing in mind.

Michigan State is headed to the Sweet 16, and this is also a Sweet 16 for Izzo, as it is his 16th Sweet 16 appearance that is a level of dominance that we may never know again.

That is absolutely incredible by him.

Close

The No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans (28-6) try to secure a place in the Sweet 16 in an men’s NCAA Tournament Round of 32 matchup against the No. 10 seed New Mexico Lobos (27-7) on Sunday at Rocket Arena, beginning at 8:40 p.m. ET.

In its last matchup on Friday, Michigan State earned an 87-62 win over Bryant. In its most recent outing on Friday, New Mexico claimed a 75-66 win against Marquette. Coen Carr’s team-high 18 points led Michigan State in the win. Donovan Dent scored a team-best 21 points for New Mexico in the victory.

Michigan State vs. New Mexico TV channel NCAA Tournament

• Location: Rocket Arena in Cleveland
• Date: Sunday, March 23, 2025
• Time: 8:40 p.m. ET
• TV channel: TNT (watch on Sling TV)
• Stream: Sling TV

What time is Michigan State vs. New Mexico basketball today?

Michigan State and New Mexico play at 8:40 p.m. ET.

Watch New Mexico vs. Michigan State with Sling TV

Michigan State vs. New Mexico odds, lines, spread

• Spread: Michigan State -7.5
• Total: 148
• Moneyline: Michigan State -336, New Mexico +268

Michigan State has been scoring 76.3 points per game in its last 10 appearances, an average that’s a little lower than the 78.4 it has scored over the course of the 2024-25 campaign. While New Mexico is scoring 81.1 points per game in 2024-25, it has fallen short of that over its previous 10 games, tallying 74.7 points per contest.

Michigan State Spartans basketball schedule

New Mexico Lobos basketball schedule

Watch New Mexico vs. Michigan State with Sling TV

EAST LANSING, Mich. — With less than 10 minutes to play in the Big Ten championship game at Munn Ice Arena, Michigan State watched a two-goal lead evaporate.

Two periods later, the Spartans became the first team in Big Ten conference history to secure consecutive playoff championships coupled with back-to-back regular-season titles.

Isaac Howard capped an impressive performance with the game-winning goal at 15:09 of double overtime, giving Michigan State a 4-3 win over Ohio State. Howard had a power-play goal in the first period and assisted on the Spartans’ two other goals as well, earning him MVP honors for the game.

“Ike’s fingerprints were all over this game,” said Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale. “I have a hard time believing there’s a better player in the country. He’s doing it on both sides of the puck. We used him on the kill but to score that goal [on a] heck of a play by Charlie Stramel to find him.

“It was great to see guys be rewarded, to try to do something that’s never been done … super proud of the guys.”

The Spartans led 2-0 early in the game on power-play goals by Karsen Dorwart and Howard, who assisted on each other’s tallies. Joe Dunlap got one back for the Buckeyes late in the first to make it 2-1 after one.

After a scoreless second period, the Spartans took a 3-1 lead just 42 seconds into the third period when Tanner Kelly tipped in a feed from Howard on the breakaway and for more than 10 minutes, it looked as though the game would that way.

But at 12:46, Damien Carfagna banked in a goal off of Trey Augustine’s skate to pull the Buckeyes to within one, and at 17:39, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine picked up Riley Thompson’s rebound to the game 3-3.

“When your backs are against the wall, you have no choice,” said Ohio State coach Steve Rohlik. “Our guys, we’re just going to keep going forward. To get that second one was huge and then we just felt it. We wished that period was a little longer. We were kind of in the roll there.”

The Buckeyes outshot the Spartans 11-9 in the first overtime, but the second OT belonged to Michigan State from nearly the get-go. The Spartans wore down the Buckeyes in the second OT, outshooting Ohio State 12-4. Even when the Buckeyes were able to clear the puck out of their own zone, they couldn’t sustain any offense and by the time Howard scored, the game winner felt like an inevitability.

On that goal, Stramel swept the puck from behind the Ohio State net and set up Howard in the slot. Once the puck was on his tape, the Big Ten player of the year and Hobey Baker finalist made no mistake.

“I remember kind of getting in the slot and ‘Strams’ was wheeling up and he made a great play to me,” Howard said. “I just went backhand, forehand, through the goalie’s armpit and then celebrated.”

Nightingale said that he was happy with the way his team “just stayed with it” when the Buckeyes evened the score and had their chances in overtime.

“There was no panic,” said Nightingale. “A lot of time that happens, the wheels can fall off. You’ve just got to believe in what we do and how we need to play to be a good hockey team.”

Both Ohio State (24-13-2) and Michigan State (26-6-4) will move onto NCAA tournament play, with the Spartans earning a No. 1 seed in regional action, wherever they’re sent. The Buckeyes and Spartans may find themselves placed in Toledo next weekend.