No. 2 seed MSU leaned on poise and depth to outlast No. 10 seed New Mexico, 71-63, on Sunday night. A three-point game with seven minutes remaining shifted in the Spartans’ favor thanks to key stops and buckets from junior forward Frankie Fidler and senior guard Jaden Akins.

"I mean, a win is a win," Akins said postgame. "I feel like good teams find a way to win, and that’s what we did."

The Spartans outworked the Lobos on defense and the glass, securing a Sweet 16 berth for the second time in three seasons.

MSU contained Lobos standout guard Donovan Dent, limiting the 6-foot-2 junior to 14 points on 18 shots. The Spartans wore down 6-foot-10 forward Nelly Junior Joseph, who finished with a team-high 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting and seven rebounds before fouling out late in the second half.

"Don’t kid yourself. (New Mexico) is a really, really good, well-coached team," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "I told you, our margin for error is not great. We’re not going to sit there and walk up and out-talent anybody. It just doesn’t work that way with us."

The push came late, but the Spartans are headed back to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time under Izzo. MSU will face No. 6 seed Ole Miss on Friday, March 28, in the South Region semifinal at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:09 p.m., and CBS will air the game.

The Rebels (23-11) went 10-8 in SEC play and feature one of the most offensively balanced teams in college basketball, with six players averaging double figures in scoring. Since Feb. 4, Ole Miss has defeated NCAA Tournament teams Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

No. 3 seed Iowa State fell to Ole Miss on Sunday night as the Rebels used a strong first half to upset the Cyclones, 91-78. Four Ole Miss players scored 15 points in the win.

The Spartans can reach their first Elite Eight since 2019 and the 11th of Tom Izzo’s career, who has won 10 of 15 Sweet 16 games in his 30 years at the helm.

They’ll arrive in Atlanta with momentum and something to prove — most of MSU’s roster has never experienced the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend. 

Another slow start

For the second straight NCAA Tournament game, MSU found itself playing from behind. 

This time, the deficit was more pronounced.

New Mexico opened with a 7-0 run, hitting its first three shots and dictating the pace early. The Lobos’ physical defense and consistent drives kept the Spartans on their heels. MSU didn’t lead at all in the first half and struggled to get comfortable offensively, starting 1-for-9 from deep and missing several clean looks.

Lobos 6-foot-9 stretch forward Mustapha Amzil, who entered shooting 28% from three and 37% overall, buried both his 3-point attempts and went 5-for-5 from the field in the first half. Amzil’s hot hand helped New Mexico lead by as many as 10.

"That was a good of a barrage as we’ve had hit us," Izzo said. "It just seemed like we weren’t guarding, and they were making shots."

But MSU remained composed, riding its transition offense and timely defense to close the gap, holding New Mexico without a field goal for the final 4:41 of the half. 

Akins sparked an MSU rally with a layup in transition, then finished an alley-oop lob from freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. to make it 29-28, New Mexico. Holloman scored on a drive and later drew a foul, splitting a pair of free throws to cut the Lobos’ lead to 31-29.

With Holloman leading the way, MSU entered halftime very much in the game despite never finding its rhythm. 

Strength vs. strength

This matchup felt like a test of everything MSU prides itself on — depth, toughness, defensive versatility — against a New Mexico team built with similar core values. 

It showed. 

The Spartans and Lobos traded stops, jabs and lead changes through a rugged second half, with neither team leading by more than six until the closing minutes. It was physical, fast and dictated by both sides’ willingness to attack the paint. In that environment, MSU found the right answers.

The turning point came late. Tied at 51 with six minutes left, MSU leaned into its interior game and a few unlikely sources. Akins drilled a deep three late in the shot clock, then Fidler scored in transition while being fouled and hit a reverse layup moments later.

Holloman’s catch-and-shoot three from the right wing, only MSU’s fourth make from deep all night, made it 63-54 with under three minutes to play. 

Joseph fouled out with 2:12 remaining trying to contest Coen Carr at the rim. That opened the lane for MSU’s guards to close things out — and fittingly, it was freshman Jase Richardson, scoreless all game, who went 3-for-3 at the line after drawing a foul on a three with 1:32 left. 

"I’m just happy we got the win," Izzo said. "I’m happy we showed a little character after we got down and weren’t playing well."

In a game of attrition, MSU’s balance and composure proved enough to outlast a worthy, physical opponent — and punch its ticket to Atlanta.