Michigan State basketball’s deep bench was the key to their victory over New Mexico, advancing them to their 16th Sweet 16 appearance under coach Tom Izzo. The 2-seed Spartans defeated the 10-seed Lobos 71-63 in the NCAA tournament.
Izzo praised his team’s culture, saying it was a major factor in their success. “It’s funny to get a text like I got from Draymond today. It was almost like: Don’t screw it up, you know what we do at this time of year.”
The Spartans’ bench outscored New Mexico’s 36-7, with players like Frankie Fidler and Szymon Zapala making significant contributions. Fidler led MSU with a plus-19 in his nearly 17½ minutes, while Zapala had a 99-second start to the second half that sparked a 6-0 run.
Despite missing his first nine shots, Jase Richardson contributed to the win by driving and dish-ing out passes to teammates. “When you’re not able to score, you feel like you gotta do something,” he said.
Michigan State will face Mississippi in the next round of the NCAA tournament. The Spartans’ toughness and being well-schooled by Izzo were key factors in their victory over New Mexico.
Source: https://eu.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2025/03/24/michigan-state-basketball-sweet-16-tom-izzo-ncaa-tournament-march-madness-new-mexico-frankie-fidler/82631697007