Jeremy Fears powers No. 3 Michigan State into Sweet 16 past No. 6 Louisville team playing without Mikel Brown Jr.
Fears’ 16 assists matched the output from the entire Louisville roster as a veteran MSU team advanced to the Sweet 16 as a threat to advance to the Final Four and beyond.
No. 6 seed Louisville entered its second-round matchup against No. 3 Michigan State Saturday at a significant disadvantage without injured All-ACC guard Mikel Brown Jr.
That disadvantage proved too much to overcome against a tough and tournament-tested Michigan State team as the Spartans pulled away for a 77-69 win to advance to the Sweet 16. All Big Ten point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. guided the MSU victory while tallying 12 points and 16 assists against a Louisville team that was clearly missing its own floor leader.
Fears’ 16 assists matched the total produced by the entire Louisville roster. His 16 assists were the most ever by an MSU player in an NCAA tournament game. [ Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season ] Michigan State opened up a 22-12 early lead that it never relinquished.
Louisville managed to keep things close and cut MSU’s lead to as close as 55-50 with 8:20 remaining. But without their star guard, the Cardinals weren’t able to mount a challenge to the Spartans. A veteran team with significant NCAA tournament experience and a championship-winning head coach in Tom Izzo, Michigan State advances to a regional semifinal matchup against either UCLA or UConn and will be a threat to make it to the Final Four and beyond.