Michigan State BASKETBALL Schedule - 2009-10

#12 Michigan State BASKETBALL Schedule - 2009-10

Regular Season Schedule and Results

DATE	OPPONENT	TIME/RESULT	RECORD
November 13	Florida Gulf Coast	W 97-58	1-0
November 17	Gonzaga	W 75-71	2-0
November 20	Toledo	W 75-62	3-0
November 22	Valparaiso	W 90-60	4-0
November 27	vs. Florida*	L 77-74	4-1
November 28	vs. Massachusetts*	W 106-68	5-1
December 1	at No. 11 North Carolina	L 89-82	5-2
December 4	Wofford	W 72-60	6-2
December 7	at Citadel	W 69-56	7-2
December 10	Oakland	W 88-57	8-2
December 19	IPFW	W 80-58	9-2
December 22	at No. 2 Texas	L 79-68	9-3
December 30	Texas-Arlington	W 87-68	10-3
January 2	at Northwestern	W 91-70	11-3 (1-0)
January 6	No. 20 Wisconsin	W 54-47	12-3 (2-0)
January 9	at Iowa	W 71-53	13-3 (3-0)
January 13	Minnesota	W 60-53	14-3 (4-0)
January 16	Illinois	W 73-63	15-3 (5-0)
January 20	Iowa	W 70-63	16-3 (6-0)
January 23	at Minnesota	W 65-64	17-3 (7-0)
January 26	at Michigan	W 57-56	18-3 (8-0)
January 30	Northwestern	W 79-70	19-3 (9-0)
February 2	at No. 16 Wisconsin	L 67-49	19-4 (9-1)
February 6	at Illinois	L 78-73	19-5 (9-2)
February 9	No. 7 Purdue	L 76-64	19-6 (9-3)
February 13	at Penn State	W 65-54	20-6 (10-3)
February 16	at Indiana	W 72-58	21-6 (11-3)
February 20	No. 12 Ohio State	L 74-67	21-7 (11-4)
February 27	at No. 3 Purdue	W 53-44	22-7 (12-4)
March 4	Penn State	W 67-65	23-7 (13-4)
March 7	Michigan	W 64-48	24-7 (14-4)
March 12	vs. Minnesota*	L 72-67	24-8 (14-4)

NCAA Tournament Schedule and Results
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME/RESULT	RECORD
March 19	vs. New Mexico State*	W 70-67	25-8
March 21	vs. No. 20 Maryland*	W 85-83	26-8
March 26	vs. No. 24 Northern Iowa*	W 59-52	27-8
March 28	vs. No. 14 Tennessee*	W 70-69	28-8
April 3	vs. No. 8 Butler*	L 52-50	28-9

Last Updated: November 14. 2009 6:57PM
Michigan State 97, Florida Gulf Coast 58
Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers dazzle in MSU's opening rout
David Goricki / The Detroit News

East Lansing -- Chris Allen celebrated his 21st birthday by presenting Durrell Summers the perfect present in a way of a pass for an alley-oop dunk to help the Spartans get going after a slow start in the season opener Friday night at Breslin Center.

Summers' dunk started a three-point play to give No. 2 MSU a 19-17 lead en route to a 97-58 rout of Florida Gulf Coast before a crowd of 14,759.

"We want to run and it gets more electrifying when you get those plays," MSU coach Tom Izzo said. "Everybody gets excited on a play like that."

Summers, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, went on a personal 7-0 run, throwing down another slam off a Raymar Morgan steal and pass, and then ended the run with another inside basket. He finished with 17 points.

Reigning Big Ten player of the year Kalin Lucas led the Spartans with 21 points. Sophomore forward Draymond Green had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore guard Korie Lucious had 11 points and eight assists.

Freshman center Derrick Nix added 11 points and 14 rebounds, and Allen, a junior guard, 10 points and five assists.

"Coach kept telling us to stay aggressive," Lucas said. "At halftime, he told us to keep pushing ball and we got some easy baskets from it."

The Spartans held a 54-34 rebounding advantage without 6-8 sophomore Delvon Roe on the floor for the majority of the game. He fouled out and played just 13 minutes. He failed to score and had three rebounds.

The Spartans led 44-27 at the half. After ex-Michigan guard Reed Baker's 3-pointer pulled Gulf Coast -- a third-year Division I program -- within 23-21 with 6:15 left, MSU went on a 21-6 run.

The Spartans were 5-of-10 on 3-pointers in the half, making four during the final four minutes, including one from Summers with six seconds left.

Florida Gulf Coast stayed with the Spartans for the first 11 minutes of the game, forcing Lucas into a turnover on MSU's first possession and scoring the game's first four points. The Eagles scored off of transition baskets off turnovers, made layups after breaking the press and scored off putbacks before Allen's pass got the Spartans going.

Slam dunks

Morgan, who was questionable for the opener, wore a brace on his left ankle. He entered the game with 14:40 left in the first half, played nine minutes, missed all four of his field goal attempts and all four free throws and didn't return for the second half.

"If Coach wanted me to play in the second half I could have, but they didn't need me," said Morgan, who expects to play Tuesday against Gonzaga. "It felt pretty good actually once I got out there. It was real loose. It got stiff when I sat down."

... Nix, a 6-foot-8, 280-pound center, is the second MSU player to record a double-double in his debut, joining Matt Steigenga (1988). Both were Michigan Mr. Basketball winners.

"I was pleased for Derrick," Izzo said. "Nix proved to be a load in there. He can't keep throwing the ball up there though. He has to shoot it"

... There were a number of highlight reel plays during the Spartans' second-half dominance, but none was better than Lucas' three-point play.

Lucas took a pass and went the length of the floor, tossed the ball over his shoulder as he was fouled -- and the ball went in. He took high-fives from the fans in the front row as he made his way back to the line. The fans in the Izzone bowed in approval.

"I'll probably never be able to make that shot again," Lucas said. "I just split two defenders, flicked it up and out of the corner of my eye I saw it go in."

... Green was helped off the court late in the game, but it's nothing to worry about Izzo said. He was just suffering from cramps and returned to the bench.

david.goricki@detnews.com

Last Updated: November 18. 2009 2:42PM
No. 2 Michigan State 75, Gonzaga 71
Spartans rally to avoid upset
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News

East Lansing -- Michigan State sure didn't get a cute and cuddly mid-major opponent Tuesday when West Coast Conference power Gonzaga came to town.

Nearly four years after the two teams squared off for a finesse-filled, triple-overtime thriller in the Maui Invitational, the rematch had a completely different feel.

It was a Big Ten-style brawl featuring 46 fouls, and the nation's second-ranked team trailed most of the way before counter-punching to a 75-71 victory.

"They took it to us for at least 30 minutes," Spartans coach Tom Izzo said. "They punched us in the mouth, picked us up off the ground, punched us in the mouth, picked us up off the ground and punched us in the mouth again."

The Bulldogs dominated in the paint early with 7-foot center Robert Sacre and 6-8 forward Elias Harris. They both finished with 17 points.

Down 13 late in the first half, Michigan State couldn't get a real advantage until Kalin Lucas drove the lane for an acrobatic layup with 34.6 seconds left for a 73-70 lead.

Lucas finished with 19 points and scored the basket a couple minutes after teammate Durrell Summers made a 3-pointer for the team's first lead (68-67).

Summers praised his team for its resolve after a 12-turnover first half and believes the game had an NCAA Tournament type of feel full of effort related plays.

"We kind of let them play our style," Summers said. "But we were all able to collect ourselves, get after loose balls and make some plays."

Summers had a game-high 21 points, tied the score at 65 and helped carry the scoring load while forward Raymar Morgan played despite a right ankle injury.

Morgan sprained his left ankle earlier this month, but was effective enough to score 16 points. He made 10 of 11 free throws and impressed Izzo with his toughness.

Izzo didn't appear too concerned about Morgan's health because of the way the senior responded to pain in such a pivotal early season contest.

Morgan injured the right ankle with 4:22 left in the first half as he leaped for a defensive rebound near midcourt and limped to the locker room to get treatment.

He came back with 1:56 left in the half and played more than 10 second-half minutes.

"It was one of the most heroic performances I've seen," Izzo said.

Sacre was dominant the entire night and gave his team an 11-3 lead less than five minutes into the game. MSU's deficit grew to 23-10 later in the half after a Kelly Olynyk lay-up.

Gonzaga outrebounded MSU 23-21 in the first half, but couldn't keep up the pace.

The Spartans held a 44-38 edge in rebounds.

Bulldogs coach Mark Few was pleased with his team's effort and ability to muscle up with its opponent and believes that of style will help him win a lot of games.

"So far this year, we're looking a little bit like a Tom Izzo team, which is good," Few said. "We've had teams like that in the past. This team likes to hit."

Tuesday marked MSU's 41st consecutive non-conference win at Breslin Center. Izzo is now 36-0 at home in November games during his head coaching career.

Michigan State's last non-conference regular season loss was to Duke (72-50) in 2003.

MSU's next game is Friday against Toledo at Breslin Center (6:30, Big Ten Network).

Michigan State's non-conference schedule won't get any easier with a Nov. 27 game against Florida in Atlantic City, N.J., to begin play in the Legends Tournament.

The field also includes Rutgers and Massachusetts.

eric.lacy@detnews.com

Posted: Nov. 21, 2009
MSU 75, Toledo 62
Tom Izzo finds flaws in MSU's win

BY SHANNON SHELTON
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

EAST LANSING -- Your team wins by 13 points, five starters score in double figures, and your players total 22 assists and only six turnovers.

But if you're Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, that's not good enough.

Following the No. 2 Spartans' 75-62 win over Toledo on Friday night at the Breslin Center, Izzo said he was very disappointed in how his team played, preferring to focus on MSU's inability to build on leads of 17-20 points and an 11-for-26 mark from the free-throw line, among other transgressions.

After Izzo outlined his concerns, he segued into the crux of why he was so bothered by the ho-hum statistical nature of the victory.

"Since you all want to know what I think this program has to do to become an elite program ... you saw it tonight," Izzo said. "Duke beats this team bad. Get them down and beat them bad. Michigan State doesn't. For all you that think we're where we are, and I keep arguing where we're not? Give one to Izzo. He won. We are not where we need to be to have this program thought of in that elite status yet.

"I'm going to keep working at it, but great teams don't have those letdowns. We did not do the job. We meaning me, my staff and the players."

With 3:16 left in the first half, MSU led, 37-20. Toledo answered with a 10-0 run to cut the lead, and the Spartans led, 37-30, at halftime.

The Spartans scored the first eight points of the second half and later led by as many as 20 points. With the Spartans leading, 54-34, with 11:20 left, Toledo's Stephen Albrecht drained a three-pointer and followed with a lay-up to cut the lead to 15. Kalin Lucas hit a jumper to put MSU up, 56-39, but Albrecht again hit a three-pointer to whittle the lead to 14.

PLAYER BREAKDOWN: Draymond Green led MSU with 15 points, and Delvon Roe had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. In MSU’s first two games, Roe went scoreless and fouled out each game.

“Draymond played okay,” Izzo said. “We’ve got to work on shot selection, but he played okay.”

Senior forward Raymar Morgan did not play after hurting his right ankle against Gonzaga. Morgan is also still dealing with a sprained left ankle from the preseason.

Morgan sat on the bench in his MSU warmups.

“He wanted to play tonight and I didn’t want to even suit him up,” Izzo said. “He said, ‘Let me suit up in case someone gets hurt.’ He is becoming what I was hoping he’d become. A lot better leader and a player we just can’t play without.”

Lucas, who had 12 points, left the game briefly midway through the second half after taking an elbow to the stomach from a Toledo player. Lucas fell to the ground in pain, but said after the game that the wind had simply been knocked out of him.

“It was kind of painful,” Lucas said. “I was trying to talk but I couldn’t get any words out.”

Join Free Press sports writer George Sipple for a live blog of the MSU-Penn State game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at freep.com/sports.

Posted: 2:11 p.m. Nov. 22, 2009 | Updated: 3:55 p.m. Nov. 22, 2009
MSU 90, Valpo 60
Tom Izzo wins his 340th as Michigan State's coach to tie Jud Heathcote

FREE PRESS STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

Tom Izzo won his 340th game at Michigan State, tying the school record for victories in the No. 2 Spartans’ 90-60 win over Valparaiso today in East Lansing.

Izzo and Jud Heathcote now are tied atop the Michigan State record book with 340 victories.

It’ll give the old friends something to discuss Sunday night, when Heathcote was to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City. Izzo was catching a plane and headed for the ceremonies shortly after his Spartans (4-0) beat the Crusaders (1-3).

“I think it’ll make Jud feel good that his hand-picked successor is the one that at least tied his record,” Izzo said. “It’s kind of ironic on the day he goes into the Hall that I tie his record. Maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Chris Allen scored 22 points to lead four Spartans in double figures.

Izzo shares the record with mentor Jud Heathcote, who was to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday night, along with his best player, Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

Allen hit three of Michigan State's seven three-pointers (7-for-17). Kalin Lucas hit one, too, and finished with 15 points. Durrell Summers had 10 and Delvon Roe had 10 and 17 rebounds.

MSU (3-0) outrebounded Valparaiso, 42-23. The Spartans shot 55% (32-for-58) from the field. The Crusaders shot only 33% (21-for-64). MSU also had eight blocks. The Spartans opened the game on a 22-9 run and never lead by fewer than 13 points after that.

Brandon Wood scored 24 points to lead Valparaiso (1-3). Cory Johnson added 16.

“You just didn’t want to be this team on this given day playing Michigan State University,” Drew said. “It was kind of like a V-8 playing a V-4. Their engine ran faster and quicker than we did.”

The game was a regional matchup in the Legends Classic. The Spartans head to Atlantic City, N.J., for a game Friday against Florida in the tournament semifinals.

The Spartans won their 43rd straight home game against a nonconference opponent, extending a streak that started after a loss to Duke on Dec. 3, 2003.

Izzo, in his 15th season at Michigan State, has a 340-137 record highlighted by the 2000 national championship. He was an assistant to Heathcote before taking over the program.

Last Updated: November 28. 2009 9:17PM
Florida 77, No. 2 Michigan State 74
Michigan State suffers first loss of season
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News

Atlantic City, N.J. -- Tormented by 23 turnovers, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo looked perplexed when he talked about his team's bad passes.

There were plenty of them in No. 2 MSU's 77-74 loss to Florida on Friday in the opening round of the Legends Classic at Boardwalk Hall.

"Putting the ball up and throwing it full court," Izzo muttered about one of 14 turnovers in the first half. "My son wouldn't do that and he's 9."

Despite sloppiness against various pressing defenses, MSU somehow found a way to score enough points to lead with 2:14 left before its luck turned for the worse.

That's when Gators guard Erving Walker took over with six of his 12 points during the final stretch, including a deep rainbow of a 3-pointer for a 72-71 lead.

Durrell Summers gave his team a chance to tie the game at 77, but missed a 3-pointer off an inbounds play while two defenders sprinted toward him.

His ill-fated shot as time expired came a few feet away from a wide-open Korie Lucious.

Summers also missed two late free throws, including one that would have tied the game at 72.

"It was a good look," Summers said of the long-range attempt. "You just have to make it."

Izzo remains one win shy from being the program's all-time leader in wins and downplayed eventually breaking a record of 341 set by former coach Jud Heathcote.

Getting his team back on track, four days before a meeting with defending national champion North Carolina in Chapel Hill, is a much more pressing issue of concern.

Elite teams don't beat themselves and coaches of such programs don't get too worked up about records or individual accomplishments, Izzo said.

"We're comparing my program to Duke and Carolina and those coaches have 900 (wins), or 2,000 or however many they have," Izzo said. "My 340 seem miniscule. It really has no bearing. There's no, 'Win one for the Gipper,' and there's no, 'Win one for Izzo.' "

Kalin Lucas finished with 20 points and hit a jumper with 22 seconds to cut the Spartans deficit to a point, 75-74.

"You still can't win with so many turnovers," Lucas said.

Draymond Green was a positive in Friday's loss with 11 of his 15 points in the first half.

Chandler Parsons led the Gators (5-0) with 14 points.

MSU (4-1) plays Massachusetts (2-3) at 5:30 tonight.

elacy@detnews.com.

Last Updated: November 28. 2009 1:00AM
Michigan State 106, Massachusetts 68
Spartans bounce back with Tom Izzo's record-setting win
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News

Atlantic City, N.J. -- Michigan State's 106-68 drubbing of Massachusetts Saturday night gave players plenty of time to plan a playful postgame ambush of their coach.

When Tom Izzo became the school's all-time leader in victories (341) after the blowout, they were ready to reward him in the locker room with their own personal touch.

They brought out a water cooler and drenched an emotional Izzo, who then had to hold a press conference at a podium with wet spots on the front and back of his blue dress shirt.

"I wasn't expecting it," said Izzo. "I'm happy that they appreciate that even I want to leave (a) footprint. That's what meant more to me than anything."

Team equipment manager Dave Pruder bought a plaque for Izzo to honor his accomplishment and had the players award it to Izzo after he received the soaking.

"It said, '341 leaves a footprint in the sand,'" Izzo said of a phrase inscribed on the award. "That's what we (as a program) try to do."

Izzo accomplished the milestone early in his 15th season. It took 19 seasons for mentor Jud Heathcote to reach 340 -- and Heathcote experienced 82 more losses than his protégé (220).

Most players didn't realize Izzo was even close to breaking Heathcote's record until last Sunday's 30-point rout of Valparaiso.

"He probably didn't think we knew anything about it," guard Chris Allen said. "But we were setting things up before (Saturday's) game even started."

Teammates Draymond Green and Austin Thornton did the celebratory dumping.

Saturday's victory in the four-team Legends Classic gave the Spartans a third-place finish. They lost 77-74 to Florida in Friday's first game.

Saturday's game was a much better outing for the Spartans than their 23-turnover letdown against the Gators. They bolted to a 30-3 scoring run and never looked back.

Allen led all scorers with 18 points, Raymar Morgan scored 17 and Kalin Lucas 16.

The last time an Izzo team won a non-conference tournament away from home was the Pearl Harbor Classic in Hawaii during the 1998-99 season.

Ready or not, MSU (5-1) faces defending national champion North Carolina (5-1) on Tuesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge (9 p.m., ESPN).

To get revenge after two blowout losses to the Tar Heels last season, including the national title game in Detroit, the Spartans must avoid beating themselves with silly errors.

Lucas, a preseason All-American candidate, is featured in an ESPN promo for the game and embraces the national buzz for this rematch.

"I've seen half of it, I haven't seen all of it," Lucas said of the TV advertisement. "This game, it's going to be hyped, so we gotta make sure we're ready to play."

elacy@detnews.com

Posted: Jan. 10, 2010
No. 10 Michigan State 71, Iowa 53
Draymond Green is a go as MSU's sixth man

BY SHANNON SHELTON
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- At the beginning of the season, Michigan State didn't know what the best role would be for sophomore forward Draymond Green.

During Saturday's 71-53 win at Iowa, the No. 10 Spartans (13-3, 3-0 Big Ten) saw him work best as a sixth man. Green came off the bench in the first half and scored six straight points in a 2-minute period to help MSU get its first lead, which it would maintain for the rest of the game.

"To me, he's one of the best in the country," said coach Tom Izzo. "And I mean that. It's not like there are plays for him. He's just all over the place and is doing a lot of great things."

Green and junior guard Kalin Lucas led MSU with 14 points each, and Green recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds. Green and Lucas added four assists each.

"He does tell me things like that," Green said about Izzo's praise. "First, he was telling me that he would like me to win sixth man of the year, then he was saying that I would get national attention for it as a sixth man. It doesn't really matter to me about the awards, but I'm willing to do whatever it is to help our team win."

The sixth-man role has worked out pretty well in the past for MSU -- Morris Peterson won All-America honors for the Spartans as a reserve in 1999.

TAKING THE LEAD: MSU finished the day at the top of the Big Ten standings, a position that became less crowded when previously undefeated Purdue lost to Wisconsin earlier Saturday.

The Spartans have started the Big Ten at 3-0 two other times in Izzo's tenure, and both times (2000, 2009), MSU has won a Big Ten title and advanced to a Final Four.

The victory also represented a continuing trend of Big Ten road success for MSU, which completed a few recent seasons with a dismal road record. But MSU has won 10 of its past 11 Big Ten road games dating to the 2008-09 season, in which the Spartans went 8-1 away from home in conference play.

"That is impressive," Izzo said. "And yet, I don't feel as good today about it. We're not playing where we need to be for those things to matter yet, but I do think this team can get there."

Last Updated: March 27. 2010 10:02PM
Michigan State 59, Northern Iowa 52:
Korie Lucious puts Spartans in Elite company
Eric Lacy / The Detroit news

St. Louis -- For the second straight game, Korie Lucious found a way to be Michigan State's savior.

In his fifth career start, Lucious made another clutch shot Friday night to keep the Spartans' NCAA Tournament run alive.

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound guard's twisting turnaround jumper off one foot with 1:31 left paced his team to a 59-52 victory over Northern Iowa.

"It's from years of staying in the gym," Lucious said of his basket, which gave MSU a 55-51 lead. "Just working out a lot with my dad and my friends."

Lucious played a career-high 39 minutes less than a week after he made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat Maryland in Spokane, Wash.

Lucious had the green light from coach Tom Izzo to improvise on his game-changing play. It started with a crossover dribble and spin move.

Izzo just hoped it was going to work.

"I didn't want to take the street and the playground out of him," Izzo said. "I don't know, it was a hunch (the shot would fall)."

With the victory, Izzo has led his program to a record seventh Elite Eight appearance in the past 12 years and will Tennessee in Sunday's Midwest regional final.

Tennessee beat No. 2 seed Ohio State 76-73 on Friday.

If Izzo comes out victorious, he will earn a nation-leading six Final Four appearances in the last 12 years.

Sunday's game will be Izzo's first against Tennessee since he became a head coach more than 15 years ago.

To get to Indianapolis for the Final Four, MSU will most likely have to piece together more lineups.

Six Spartans played at least 22 minutes against Northern Iowa.

Chris Allen (sprained arch in left foot) and Delvon Roe (torn meniscus in right knee) endured pain to keep their team alive in the clutch.

Allen played 22 minutes and Roe 27.

"We teamed up," said forward Draymond Green, who saw his team fall victim to a 7-0 deficit to start the game. "Everybody was helping everybody."

The Spartans defense was crucial as they held their opponent without a field goal for the final 10:22.

Lucious finished with 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Durrell Summers led all scorers with 19 points including 11of his team's first 20.

elacy@detnews.com.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100327/SPORTS0202/3270327/1132/SPORTS0202/Michigan-State-59--Northern-Iowa-52--Korie-Lucious-puts-Spartans-in-Elite-company#ixzz0jWV0NMpi

Posted: 4:47 p.m. March 28, 2010 | Updated: 6:14 p.m. today
MICHIGAN STATE 70, TENNESSEE 69
Spartans win nail-biter, return to Final Four!

By NANCY ARMOUR
AP National Writer

ST. LOUIS — Don’t bet against Tom Izzo and Michigan State this time of year.

Raymar Morgan’s free throw with less than two seconds left gave the Spartans a 70-69 victory over Tennessee in the Midwest Regional final today, sending Michigan State to its sixth Final Four in 12 years and second in a row.

No team in the country — not North Carolina, not Kentucky, not UCLA — has done it better during that span. And all six trips have come under Izzo, the hard-nosed coach who preaches defense, rebounding and physical play.

“I like it more than I used to,” Izzo said of playing in March. “It’s even better than I thought.”

Oh, and how’s this for some symmetry? This happens to be the 10th anniversary of the “Flintstones,” the team that gave Michigan State its second national title. Highlights from that run were included in the video montage of past championships that played on the Edward Jones Dome’s massive Jumbotron during halftime.

A pep rally has been scheduled for 9 tonight at the Breslin Center. Gates open at 8:45 p.m.

The Spartans announced that they will allocate their Final Four ticket allotment of approximately 3,640 to team members, the official travel party, Spartan Fund university donors and sponsors. There will not a public sale.

Members of the Izzone student cheering section will receive instructions via e-mail on how they can purchase one of the 660 student tickets allocated to MSU.

The Spartans, last year’s national runner-up, will be looking for championship No. 3 next weekend in Indianapolis. They play Butler, sure to be the hometown favorite, in the semifinals Saturday night.

The fifth-seeded Spartans (28-8) led by as many as eight in the second half, but Brian Williams pulled Tennessee within 69-68 on a putback with 2:10 left. Korie Lucious, who took over as point guard after 2009 Big Ten player of the year Kalin Lucas ruptured his Achilles tendon last weekend, missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 29 seconds left, and Scotty Hopson got the rebound.

Hopson was fouled at the other end and made the first. But after a Michigan State time-out, he missed the second, and Lucious — generously listed at 5-feet-11 — ended up with the rebound.

Draymond Green fed the ball inside to Morgan, who got hacked by J.P. Prince with 1.8 seconds left. Morgan made the first and, after time-outs by both teams, missed the second — on purpose. Williams came up with the rebound, but Prince fumbled the subsequent in-bounds pass and had to heave up a prayer just before the buzzer.

“It’s just tough, one second,” Prince said. “You want to shoot it perfect, but you’ve got to rush. You don’t want it to come down to a half-court shot, but that’s what it came down to.”

Prince wasn’t even close, and Michigan State and its fans — led by Spartan-in-chief Magic Johnson — began what’s become a traditional postgame celebration.

“I’m not surprised,” Johnson said. “Tom Izzo does his best in the NCAA tournament.”

Hard to argue with that.

Izzo, who took over from longtime mentor Jud Heathcote for the 1995-96 season, is 6-1 in the regional finals. The only loss was to top-seeded Texas in 2003.

Sixth-seeded Tennessee (28-9), meanwhile, will have to take comfort in knowing it got further than any other Volunteers team. This was their first appearance in the regional finals, and there is no question they belonged. They made their first six shots of the game — going 4 for 4 from 3-point range, shot 51 percent overall and had four players in double figures, led by senior Wayne Chism’s 13 points.

Prince finished with 12 on 5-of-5 shooting, and Williams had 11.

Tennessee has long been a powerhouse — in women’s hoops. But coach Bruce Pearl has energized the men’s program, as evidenced by the orange-hued dome and the Vols’ first appearance in the regional final. Though they were going against a program that oozes experience — “Final Fours are a big thing in this program,” Green said Saturday — the Vols came in with swagger and strut.

Chism’s three-pointer put them up 50-45 with 15:46 left and prompted another roar from the thousands of Tennessee fans who had made the trek north. But come tournament time, the Spartans simply find a way to get it done. Cranking up the in-your-jersey defense that makes Big Ten opponents shudder, they held the Vols without a field goal for the next 7 1/2 minutes while ripping off a 14-1 run.

Chris Allen made a three, and Summers converted a three-point play after being fouled on a jumper just inside the line. After Williams’ free throw, Morgan scored on a lay-up, and Lucious hit a three-pointer to put the Spartans up 56-51 with 12:25 to play.

As a time-out was called, Lucious held up his right hand toward the Michigan State section as if to say, “Bring it on.”

Green then converted another three-point play, giving the Spartans a 59-51 lead, the largest of the game, with 11:42 to play.

But the Volunteers had one more run in them. Bobby Maze scored on a lay-up — Tennessee’s first field goal since 15:46 — and Williams followed with two jumpers to put the Vols back on top, 62-61, setting up the frenetic finish.