Everyone knew this game would be a dogfight throughout. Louisville threw the first punch and the Spartans seemed to be out for the count. Michigan State came back and threw the final punch to advance to the Final Four.
1st Half: It was a fast pace beginning as Sparty was hitting shots from beyond the arc early and Louisville was keeping up. Harrell was dominating the game in every way and couldn’t be stopped. Blackshear was playing great the entire game and it showed. Rozier could only score when he got a steal for a fast break layup. Trice played with a swagger that spread through the whole team. Louisville was able to force many turnovers with their full court pressure. Louisville went into the half with a 40-32 lead.
The Cardinals scored 30 points for the rest of the game.
2nd Half: Sparty came out swinging as they made most of their shots and Louisville couldn’t buy a shot. Harrell didn’t make a single second half shot after scoring 12 first half points. Blackshear even threw up at halftime and came back to score a total of 28 points. Rozier continued his horrible offensive performance. Forbes was the x-factor in the game as he came in to drill multiple threes for Michigan State. Louisville tied it up with 3 seconds left but missed a free throw to send it to overtime. MSU went on a 12-6 run to end the game. Louisville had a disappointing shooting performance in the second half and overtime that lead to a tough loss.
Michigan State 76 Louisville 70
Game Notes: Wayne Blackshear – 28 points and 3 rebounds. Montrezl Harrell – 16 points and 9 rebounds. Terry Rozier – 13 points and 8 rebounds. Travis Trice – 17 points and 5 assists. Denzel Valentine – 15 points and 7 rebounds. Bryn Forbes – 14 points and 2 assists. Rozier went 6 for 23 from the field. Louisville went 20-29 from the free throw line. Louisville shot 35% from the field and Michigan State went 43% from the field. Michigan State had 20 assists and Louisville had 10.
Michigan State plays the winner of Duke and Gonzaga in the Final Four.