The No. 2 seed in the South Region Michigan State Spartans(29-6) will take on the No. 6 seed Ole Miss Rebels(24-11) in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. This game will take place in Atlanta, Georgia Friday evening.
Michigan State survived in a great game against New Mexico State. Ole Miss put together a solid game to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Spartans Head Coach Tom Izzo is making his 16th appearance in the Sweet 16. Which team will win and advance to the Elite Eight?
Michigan State Survives and Advances
The Spartans were locked in a tough game with New Mexico for most of the contest until they pulled away late. New Mexico tied the game at 51 with 7:39 left in the game. From that point on, the Spartans outscored their opponent 20-12. This allowed MSU to win 71-63.
Michigan State’s defense was the story of the game. They held the Lobos scoreless for the first three minutes of the second half. New Mexico’s offense had countless extended dry spells as they saw their tournament come to an end. MSU held the opposition to 44.4% shooting from the field and 26.7% from deep. Even though the Spartans did not have their best day on offense, they won by having their offense and defense make key contributions. Guard Jaden Akins led the team with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
The Ole Miss Offense Powers Them To Victory
The Rebels had a tremendous offensive game in the 2nd round against Iowa State. They won 91-78 to advance to their second Sweet 16 in program history. The last time they made it this far in the NCAA Tournament was in 2001. They lost to No. 2 seed Arizona in the Sweet 16.
Ole Miss was led on offense by Guard Sean Pedulla. He scored a team-high 20 points to help the team advance. Their offense was firing on all cylinders against the Cyclones. They shot 58.2% from the field and 57.9% from deep. A great offensive performance will be imperative for the Rebels to defeat Michigan State.
Final Thoughts
Michigan State is a 2.5-point favorite. The Spartans are one of the best defensive teams in the nation. The Rebels have their offense playing as well as any team in the Sweet 16. It will be a game of strength against strength for a spot in the Elite 8. Izzo’s wealth of experience and Michigan State’s superior depth will help them hang on to defeat the Rebels.
