Michigan State has now won eight games since the start of February after being down at halftime. Friday’s victory was Izzo’s 14th when trailing at the half in the NCAA Tournament, tying Mike Krzyzewski for the all-time record.

The Spartans rallied in the second half to beat Mississippi and earn their first trip to the Elite Eight trip since 2019.

SportsLine expert Bruce Marshall has revealed his Ole Miss Rebels vs. Michigan State Spartans picks for the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Friday

That left Tom Izzo fuming after having spent the week trying to resolve the issue, including rearranging his starting lineup. Down 10 points and the Rebels rolling, Izzo called a timeout. Here’s what he told them: The Spartans ended up rallying to beat the Rebels 73-70, advancing to the Elite 8.

Ole Miss basketball's Malik Dia and Sean Pedulla combined for 35 points in the Rebels' Sweet 16 loss to Michigan State.

Jace Richardson scored 24 points and Michigan State surged past Mississippi in the second half for a 73-70 victory Friday night in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

Michigan State made a run in the final few minutes of the first half of its Sweet 16 game vs. Ole Miss, and he wants to see more of it. Speaking to CBS’ Tracy Wolfson at halftime, the Spartans’ star guard said the key to MSU’s 12-2 run into the break was getting open looks.

The Michigan State men's basketball team is headed to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division I tournament after defeating Ole Miss 73-70 in Atlanta on Friday. Freshman guard Jase Richardson scored 20 points on just eight shot attempts. He hit 4-of-6 threes, 2-of-2 twos and 4-of-6 free throws while adding six rebounds.