No. 2 Michigan State University, fresh off its resilient, come-from-behind Sweet 16 victory over Ole Miss, faces its most demanding test yet in No. 1 overall seed Auburn — a battle-tested, veteran-heavy squad that’s held the nation’s top ranking for much of the season. 

"I feel like it’s going to take full focus, full effort from the tip," MSU senior guard Jaden Akins said during a press conference Saturday. "I’m a senior. This is my last go-around, so I’m trying to extend my season, and that’s really the only thing that’s on my mind."

MSU (30-6) is one win from the Final Four, 40 minutes from head coach Tom Izzo’s ninth trip to the biggest stage, a feat they haven’t achieved since 2019.

The Spartans enter Sunday’s South Regional Final riding the muscle memory of a team that keeps finding answers late in games. They erased a 10-point deficit and outlasted No. 6 seed Ole Miss on Friday, 73-70, for their 30th win of the season and Izzo’s 11th career Elite Eight appearance.  

They’ve now won 11 of their last 12 contests and outscored opponents by 35 points in the second half across three NCAA Tournament games — a trend that’s held steady since that stretch began on Feb. 15 at Illinois. 

Freshman guard Jase Richardson, who scored 20 points on eight shots in the Sweet 16, leads a deep rotation with nine players averaging at least 10 minutes per game. Sophomore forward Coen Carr, making his first start Friday, added 15 points.

Akins, the team’s most experienced scorer, sealed the win with a go-ahead drive and two clutch free throws in the final minute.

The Spartans are ranked No. 5 in defensive efficiency, per KenPom, and holds opponents to just 28% from three, the second-best rate in the country. MSU is also No. 5 nationally in rebounding margin.

They’ll need all of it against the Auburn (31-5), a veteran-laden group with a starting five averaging 23.2 years of age, which stormed back from a second-half deficit to beat No. 5 Michigan, 78-65, on Friday night. The Tigers have lost three of their last seven games after beginning the year 27-2, and their 31 wins this season are a program record. 

Both teams are aggressive defensively and thrive in transition, but Auburn allows few clean perimeter looks and ranks No. 2 in blocks per game.

Auburn features one of the nation’s most complete statistical profiles: No. 3 in offensive efficiency, No. 8 in defense and No. 2 in overall strength of schedule. Five players average double figures, led by 6-foot-10 forward Johni Broome, the runner-up favorite for Naismith Player of the Year, who posted 22 points and 16 rebounds Friday and serves as the Tigers’ interior anchor. 

"Broome is an incredible player but (Jones and Pettiford) can make shots, and they make shots from a lot of different places," Izzo said. "We’re going to have to do some different things with Broome because he scores it in so many different ways and we got a couple of different things we’d like to do with him."

Outside the paint, Auburn freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford scored 20 points in the win over Michigan and shoots 38% from beyond the arc. Denver Jones, a 6-foot-1 transfer guard, added 20 of his own and enters Sunday shooting 42% from deep. Georgia Tech transfer Miles Kelly adds more long-range shooting at 39%. Together, they form a backcourt capable of swinging a game with offensive bursts.  

"They put in on the floor, they can shoot it from the logo," Izzo said. "We’re just going to have to try to make sure we contain them, you know, we’re not going to stop them."

The good news for MSU? Few teams have proven equipped to handle the Spartans’ physicality and pressure. Izzo’s teams have historically thrived in these kinds of games.

Izzo enters Sunday with 59 career NCAA Tournament wins, tied for fifth-most in Division I history. The Spartans are 10-5 all-time in the Elite Eight and 2-0 when facing the No. 1 overall seed, defeating Louisville in 2009 and Duke in 2019 en route to Final Four appearances. 

Now, they’re 40 minutes from doing it again. With experience, toughness and a rotation that delivers under pressure, MSU knows what’s required in a game like this. The stage is massive, and the margin for error is thin.

But if this tournament has shown anything, it’s that these Spartans don’t need perfect.