3 Things Fans Should Know About MSU's Sweet 16 Matchup
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The next battle is now set.
It's going to be (3) Michigan State against (2) UConn at Capital One Arena on Friday (9:45 p.m. ET, CBS) in Washington, D.C., during the Sweet Sixteen round of March Madness. There are storylines aplenty during this battle, but let's bring it down to three:
Full-Circle Moment
You can't technically call this game a rematch, but it is one. MSU and Connecticut played one another way back on Oct. 28 during what was both teams' second and final exhibition before the season officially began. The game was played in Hartford, and UConn won the exhibition, 76-69.
Those who do remember potentially paying $7.99 for "UCONN+" to watch may remember seeing a not-so-riveting event full of whistles. Fouls were called virtually every possession, and the two teams attempted a combined 74 free throws.
Friday's game will mark 150 days since that exhibition. To think that these are the same two teams going out there in D.C. would be ludicrous. Coaches use those exhibitions to try out different lineups and things that they might not even use in a random non-conference game against a Quad 4 opponent, let alone in March Madness.
That's a kind way to say that the previous meeting between these two teams means very little. A lot can change (and has) over 150 days, and people change when the stakes get higher.
Health of UConn's Demary and Stewart
One thing that is impressive about the Huskies getting to this point is their ability to win a pair of tournament games against hot Furman and UCLA squads despite having limited or no availability from two real contributors.
UConn didn't have starting point guard Silas Demary Jr. for its first-round game against Furman due to an ankle injury, but he played 22 bench minutes on Sunday against the Bruins. Demary averages 10.6 points per game and a Big East-leading 6.1 assists per game.
Jaylin Stewart ended up missing his eighth straight game for the Huskies on Sunday, reportedly due to knee inflammation. He started a dozen games for UConn earlier in the year and averages 4.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists when he does play.
Both players were listed as "questionable" on Connecticut's availability report before the UCLA game. If that's an indication, especially with Demary playing, there's definitely a real chance UConn is at full strength against the Spartans on Friday.
Izzo vs. Hurley
If you want a game with two old-school coaches who seem to hate losing much more than they like winning, this is probably a great game for you.
Tom Izzo and Dan Hurley have only officially matched up once before, and that game was out in the Bahamas during the 2021 Battle 4 Atlantis. That was actually a pretty good game, with MSU coming back from down five with 1:41 left by finishing the game on a 9-0 run to win 64-60.
Izzo, of course, has the "Mr. March" moniker by virtue of his one national title, eight Final Fours, and now 17 Sweet Sixteens. Hurley is as intimidating a force as it gets this time of year, though. He just won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024, after all, and is entering this game 15-1 in his last 16 March Madness games.
It's set to be a great one. The winner of this game gets either top-seeded Duke or fifth-seeded St. John's in the Elite Eight. That game is set for 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS on Friday.
A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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