Michigan State Basketball

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.

Jase Richardson was a PROBLEM in his first Sweet 16 😤

🔥 20 PTS | 4 3PT | 6 REB@MSU_Basketball gets the W to advance to the Elite 8📈 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Hsr6XlPtw6

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2025

Coen Carr scored 15 points, while Jaden Akins added 13 for an MSU team that shot 50 percent from the field.

For Ole Miss, Sean Padulla stayed scorching hot. The senior guard, who scored 20 points apiece in each of the Rebels' first two tournament matchups, poured in 24 more on 9-of-17 shooting.

The Rebels led by as many as 10 in the first half and eight in the second half, but MSU went on a 12-3 run to take a 51-50 lead. The two teams then traded blows until Ole Miss' Devon Barnes hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 63.

However, Jaden Akins' two-pointer with 1:27 remaining put MSU up for good, 65-63.

AKINS GIVES THE SPARTANS THE LEAD ‼️#MarchMadness @MSU_Basketball pic.twitter.com/MnU2IKYgiZ

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2025

After Ole Miss came up empty on the other end, Carson Cooper's layup gave the Spartans a 67-63 edge with 40 seconds left.

Padulla responded with a two-point bucket.

Pedulla keeps the Rebels within striking distance 👀#MarchMadness @OleMissMBB pic.twitter.com/J5Yd8LHWip

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2025

From there, the Spartans kept their distance on the free throw line, making 6-of-6 via the charity stripe.

This is a special Spartans team that could very well finish its season with a national championship. In the interim, head coach Tom Izzo is being rightfully celebrated for the work he's done with this talented team.

AKINS GIVES THE SPARTANS THE LEAD ‼️#MarchMadness @MSU_Basketball pic.twitter.com/MnU2IKYgiZ

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2025

In addition, Izzo's body of work over his tremendous career is being lauded, too.

For the 11th time, Tom Izzo is taking the Michigan State Spartans to the Elite Eight. He's done in every decade since he became a head coach in the mid-1990s.

Via CBS Sports research: That's tied for the most by all coaches since Izzo got the job 30 years ago. pic.twitter.com/eycXz6Zmpp

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 29, 2025

Michigan State is headed to the Elite Eight.

This is Tom Izzo’s 11th Elite 8, meaning he’s made it this far in 37% of his 30 seasons.

Izzo has won 8 of his 10 such appearances.

The magical season continues for MSU. pic.twitter.com/eXCRKs4c6l

— Justin Thind (@JustinThind) March 29, 2025

Ultimately, Izzo is showcasing why he's been one of the game's elite coaches for quite some time.

Tom Izzo's just like "Nah, I'm good on" on basically everything modern college hoops is about:

* Five-star freshmen
* Portal bidding wars
* Shooting and making a bunch of three pointers

And all the dude just keeps winning.

INSANE. Michigan State onto the Elite Eight pic.twitter.com/BjdIc0RlKZ

— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) March 29, 2025

Tom Izzo just coached one of the best games of his illustrious career

— MSU Chief of Propaganda (@OdellBretthamJr) March 29, 2025

Tom Izzo has done a lot of great coaching jobs in his Hall-of-Fame career.

This is one of the best.

Michigan State doesn't have the best talent that it's ever had, but it has an incredible TEAM.

The strength of this TEAM is the TEAM! https://t.co/bjVHzLeVye

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 29, 2025

Izzo crying. Entire Spartan roster, with arms linked, behind him, before celebrating Jase Richardson.

I was told college hoops was just NIL mercenaries who no longer care about team. pic.twitter.com/9mJ3lr5t6x

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) March 29, 2025

JANUARY. FEBRUARY. IZZO. pic.twitter.com/clA5wzjw4V

— Evan Fox (@evanfoxy) March 29, 2025

The Michigan State Spartans are heading to their first Elite Eight since 2019.

For the 11th time in his 30 years at the helm, Tom Izzo is heading to a regional final. What an unbelievable job he has done with this team. They made EVERY closing play.

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 29, 2025

Michigan State is just an awesome and fun team. Izzo didn't go rummaging too much through the portal, he just developed a bunch of dawgs. Hope this run keeps going.

Built not bought.

— Basketball Jones (@B1GBasketball1) March 29, 2025

We won’t see someone as good as Tom Izzo in March Madness for a while

— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) March 29, 2025

Whole team standing with Izzo for the interview. Bro has the culture figured out.

One of the best to ever do it. 🫡

— SKS (@SteveKSnider) March 29, 2025

Tom Izzo has sure closed a lot of pie holes. Good for him.

— Pat Caputo (@patcaputo98) March 29, 2025

Was just never going to be a game Izzo was going to lose

Not experienced enough, not talented enough. Not tough enough. Go Green

— GFed (@GfedGoCrazy) March 29, 2025

Michigan State now advances to the Elite Eight on Sunday, when the Spartans will play the winner of No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 5 Michigan.

Legendary Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo doesn't plan on stepping down anytime soon, but he has a few alums in mind as his future replacement.

"I got no interest in getting out of it," Izzo said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast, per Fan Duel's Jon Rothstein. "When I'm done, I'm going to talk to Mateen Cleaves, Steve Smith, Magic Johnson, and Draymond Green. I don't want to lose the culture that I've seen for 40 years as a GA on up. I think it's being lost somewhat now in college sports. Not just for me, but the players who come back and are a part of things. At least here at Michigan State, it's important. It may not be that way at other places."

Izzo first joined Michigan State's program in 1983 as an assistant and took over as head coach of the Spartans in 1995. The team has played in every NCAA tournament since the 1997-98 season, winning the national championship in 2000.

While some believe that Green is a natural fit for a future head coach, the Golden State Warriors star recently revealed that he doesn't see himself going down that path.

"Man I love Michigan State so much… I will always be a part of the program, but I'm just not sure I can coach Michigan State," he said. "Chasing around high school kids whose parents think they are the best thing since sliced bread and trying to tell me what I should do for their kid… I'm not sure I can really do that."

Draymond Green doesn’t have interest in coaching at Michigan State after his nba career😂 pic.twitter.com/deRrF6CXsJ

— Michigan State Content (@msucontent) July 31, 2024

Izzo's successor will have big shoes to fill, so it will be interesting to see who eventually gets the honor of replacing the Hall of Famer.

The field for the 2024 Maui Invitational has been released.

The first-round matchups this year are UConn vs. Memphis, Colorado vs. Michigan State, Auburn vs. Iowa State and Dayton vs. North Carolina.

The Maui Invitational bracket release 🔥

(via @MauiInv) pic.twitter.com/eOKB5iwgfJ

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) August 20, 2024

Seven of the eight teams qualified for the 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament and UConn is the two-time defending National Champion. Last year's Maui Invitational champion, Purdue, is not in the field.

The Maui Invitational is entering its 41st year, and every team in the field has appeared in a previous rendition of the tournament. Auburn, Colorado, Iowa State and Memphis will seek their first tournament championship while UNC will be looking to match Duke for the most titles in the tournament's history (5).

Each team will play three games with a winners and losers bracket.

The tournament is set to kick off on Nov. 25 and will conclude on Nov. 27.

A.J. Hoggard's college career isn't necessarily over, but the senior guard won't be suiting up for Michigan State again.

Spartans head coach Tom Izzo made that clear during an appearance on The Game 730AM's Staudt on Sports (via Kyle Austin of MLive.com).

"A.J.'s looking to make a pro career," Izzo said. "He could go back to college. It wouldn't be here."

Hoggard was a starter for Michigan State in each of the last two seasons. During that time, he averaged 11.8 points and 5.6 assists while shooting 41.2 percent overall and 33.8 percent from beyond the arc.

The fourth-year senior is again testing the NBA waters but has the flexibility to spend one more year in college. Were he to stay in school, he has until May 1 to officially enter the transfer portal.

Izzo believes Hoggard would prefer to make the jump now.

"I think he'd like to get into pro ball, whether it be Europe, whether it be the G-League," the legendary coach said. "Nowadays, everyone will look at college, too, depending on offers from different places."

Hoggard didn't make the cut in the most recent two-round mock draft for Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman, while he's the No. 22-ranked point guard in ESPN's rankings. Should he stay in the 2024 draft pool, it looks like he'd be starting his new career in the NBA G-League or abroad rather than the Association.

Should Hoggard believe another season in college is his best route, he'll need to start considering options outside of East Lansing, Michigan.

Veteran head coach Tom Izzo improved his sterling March Madness Round of 64 record Thursday, as his ninth-seeded Michigan State Spartans beat the No. 9 Mississippi State Bulldogs 69-51 in a first-round matchup in the West Region of the 2024 NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Michigan State is playing in its 26th consecutive NCAA tourney under Izzo, and it is now 20-5 in Round of 64 games during that stretch. Izzo also boasts a career record of 56-24 in the NCAA tournament overall.

It wasn't a banner year for the Spartans, as they went 19-14, finished tied for sixth in the Big Ten and lost in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament, but Izzo had his team ready to play Thursday just as he almost always does come tournament time.

Given the success Izzo-led Michigan State teams have had in March over the years, many fans on X lamented the fact that they bet against the Spartans or picked against them in their bracket pools:

We all should have known Tom Izzo wasn't going to be the first to get eliminated from the NCAA Tournament...

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 21, 2024

“Should’ve known not to bet against Izzo”

- everyone who bet Mississippi State 10 minutes into the game.

— Joe Tansey (@JTansey90) March 21, 2024

Me betting against Izzo in every parlay I have pic.twitter.com/CLg3anKQTi

— Kentucky Basketball T-Shirt w\ Opinions (@retiredbenny24) March 21, 2024

Yall crazy for actually picking Mississippi State over a Tom Izzo led Michigan State team

— Nick Perkins (@NickyPerkss) March 21, 2024

What’s the mark of a great coach?

How about despite their continual struggles in the regular season, Tom Izzo always seemingly has his team ready for March. And they’re somehow always playing their best basketball when it matters most.

THATS a great coach.

— Sean Murphy (@seanhalfcourt) March 21, 2024

Tom Izzo teams ALWAYS show up for this damn tournament 😂😂😂

— Texas Longhorn Fan Battle Podcast (@LHFanBattle) March 21, 2024

It's early but all I can think about right now is why did I pick against Tom Izzo in the first round again

— Ellis Gordon (@EllisVGordon) March 21, 2024

Feel dumb for going against Izzo…

Some things you guess at, other things you just know

— Terrence Oglesby (@T_Oglesby22) March 21, 2024

This Mississippi State team is no scrubs, Michigan State looking like Izzo pulled some March Magic again.

— Purdue Supremacy (@PurdueSupremacy) March 21, 2024

First rule of creating a bracket:

Do not pick against Tom Izzo. He finds ways to win in March. pic.twitter.com/O70CNtHOhD

— CYSOX (@CySox29) March 21, 2024

Michigan State was highly efficient on the offensive end Thursday, shooting 50 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Spartans held the Bulldogs to 37 percent shooting the from the floor and 22.2 percent shooting from long range.

Three players scored in double figures for Michigan State, but it was senior guard Tyson Walker who led the way with a team-high 19 points, plus three rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Team-wide production was somewhat lacking for Mississippi State offensively, as freshman guard and leading scorer Josh Hubbard did most of the work on that end, recording 15 points, three boards and two assists as the Bulldogs' only double-digit scorer.

As good as Hubbard was on Thursday, he was on the wrong end of the highlight reel, as Spartans guard Jaden Akins rejected him with an emphatic block on a layup attempt:

"OH AND HE IS DENIED. JADEN AKINS."@MSU_Basketball with the rejection 🚫 pic.twitter.com/zqBRDTz9kI

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 21, 2024

Had Hubbard made that basket early in the second quarter, it would have cut the deficit to four and potentially given the Bulldogs some much-needed momentum.

Instead, the pendulum swung fully in favor of the Spartans, and they rattled off the next eight points to push the lead into double digits.

Mississippi State never really threatened Michigan State for the remainder of the game, thus continuing the program's recent history of the NCAA tournament futility.

Despite reaching the tourney four times since then, the Bulldogs have not won an NCAA tournament game since the 2007-08 season.

As for the Spartans, they are into the Round of 32 for the third year in a row and the sixth time in the past seven tournaments.

They will move on to face either No. 1 North Carolina or No. 16 Wagner in the second round this weekend.

Sign up to Play the NCAA March Madness Men's Bracket Challenge, Tournament Run, and Conference Tournament Pick Em.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo isn't intending to step away from his post upon the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.

"I'm healthy. I love my job," he said to CBSSports.com's Matt Norlander.

The Spartans are off to a 10-7 start, which has some questioning their chances of making the NCAA tournament. Izzo also acknowledged to Norlander the evolving landscape of college sports has presented a challenge.

The 68-year-old said he still hasn't lost his competitive fire, though.

"I'm too stubborn to even think about doing it in the near future because I almost want to fight the system," he said. "And the system might get me. The system may get me. But the system may not get me, either."

Izzo referenced his son's appearance in Sunday's 73-55 win over Rutgers as one of the small moments that's helping him want to keep coaching. Steven Izzo scored on a three-point play in the final minute, a moment that brought the bench and the home crowd to their feet.

Memories that will last a lifetime 💚 pic.twitter.com/jY4KJahvpF

— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) January 14, 2024

"I often think when I see him out there, I would have given my left and right arm just to run out the tunnel at a place like Michigan State. I never got a chance to do that, but sometimes you get to live your own dreams through somebody else." pic.twitter.com/5uWBFTS9Zi

— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) January 15, 2024

Izzo has achieved to much to think he'd ever get fired by Michigan State, but the program's slide is impossible to ignore. The Spartans have 13 losses in each of the last three seasons, and they're on pace to go past that number this year.

The Hall of Fame coach has watched some of his contemporaries ease their way into retirement as well. Roy Williams stepped down in 2021, with Mike Krzyzewski following him in 2022. Then came the retirement of Jim Boeheim last March. Nick Saban's recent resignation from Alabama sent shockwaves across college football.

One couldn't blame Izzo for looking around and questioning his own future. But he obviously has no intentions of doing that for the time being.

Michigan State walk-on Steven Izzo, who is the son of Spartans head coach Tom Izzo, has notched his first career points.

The senior finally got on the board in the 44th game of his collegiate career. During Michigan State's rout of Rutgers on Sunday, Izzo came in late with the game out of hand. He made a move towards the basket and threw up a layup while getting fouled, and the shot went in.

The celebration was unlike any other.

AND ONE STEVEN IZZO!!!! 🙌 His first career points! @MSU_Basketball pic.twitter.com/GVf5egcIrE

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 14, 2024

Izzo proceeded to drain the free throw, giving him three points in the game and in his career.

The layup was just his third shot attempt of the season and just the 13th attempt of his career. Now, he has finally gotten one to go down in a moment that he, and his father, will remember for a long time.

While Izzo had a memorable day, the Spartans aren't having a season to remember. They began the year with an upset loss to James Madison and are now 10-7 on the year and 2-4 in conference play.

Michigan State had a rocky to start to last season as well, but still managed to make the Sweet 16. Perhaps Izzo's big shot will spark some energy heading into the rest of the year.

Following the retirement of longtime Alabama head coach Nick Saban, he received some praise from another legendary college coach.

Michigan State men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo offered his thoughts on Saban calling it a career.

"I think he's the greatest coach in the history of football," Izzo told Larry Lage of the Associated Press. "There are a lot of great coaches, but what he's done and the consistency that he did it — in an era where so many people and things are coming at you — is remarkable."

Saban is the winningest coach in college football history with seven national titles. Izzo has led Michigan State to eight Final Four appearances and a national title in 2000.

It's unclear who will be tasked with replacing Saban, but that person will certainly have huge shoes to fill.

The father of Jeremy Fears Jr. announced on social media Sunday that the Michigan State basketball player was discharged from the hospital after being shot on Saturday.

Jr is doing really good . Discharged and headed home. #blessed pic.twitter.com/Xp9vVIbZka

— Jeremy Fears (@Jfears5) December 24, 2023

According to ESPN's Myron Medcalf, police said an 18-year-old man—who a source indicated was likely Fears—and a 19-year-old woman were at a residence in Joliet, Illinois with friends when a gunman entered and opened fire. A suspect has not been identified and the investigation is ongoing.

Fears Sr. told Michael O'Brien of the Chicago Sun-Times that his son had been back in Joliet on Friday night, hanging out with a former teammate after he had invited several of his friends to watch a Michigan State game on Thursday night in East Lansing.

"There were 20 or 25 people there just having a good time," Fears Sr. said. "There were seven or eight people left cleaning and stuff and someone opened the door in all black and a ski mask and started shooting."

A bullet hit Fears in the thigh, while the woman was struck in the pelvis—both non-life-threatening injuries. The Michigan State freshman underwent successful surgery that same day.

"The bullet got stuck in the bone," Fears Sr. said. "He got really lucky that it didn't hit the artery, or he could have died."

The expected recovery timeline for the freshman guard is six to eight weeks, per his father.

"While there is much we still don't know, my focus is on supporting Jeremy on his road to recovery," Spartans' head coach Tom Izzo said in a statement.

Fears Jr. has appeared in every Michigan State game this season, averaging 3.5 points and 3.3 assists in 15.3 minutes per game off the bench.