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Tom Izzo does it again: Michigan State back in Elite Eight after beating Sooners

Tom Izzo does it again: Michigan State back in Elite Eight after beating Sooners

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said this week his seniors and juniors would have to be at their best for the Spartans to continue to advance in the NCAA tournament.

Izzo’s veterans, particularly guard Travis Trice and forward Branden Dawson, were exceptional Friday night against No. 3 seed Oklahoma in a 62-58 victory that propelled Michigan State to the Elite Eight for the second straight season and the fourth time in the past seven years.

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Oklahoma was the final remaining team from the Big 12 conference, which was viewed all season as the toughest league top to bottom in the nation. The league sent seven of its 10 teams to the NCAA tournament, but in a bitter disappointment none of them reached even the Elite Eight.

The seventh-seeded Spartans overcame their poor free throw shooting once again thanks to Trice scoring 24 points and making several timely 3-pointers in the second half. Dawson contributed 11 rebounds and junior Denzel Valentine scored 18.

Trice and Valentine, Michigan State’s two best free throw shooters, combined to make six straight at the foul line down the stretch.

It is the ninth trip to the Elite Eight for Izzo, who seems to guide his team to this stage of the season almost every year no matter the issues and obstacles it encounters along the way. Michigan State moves on to a meeting Sunday with another gritty team in No. 4 seed Louisville and another legendary coach in Rick Pitino.

Michigan State and Louisville are the lowest-seeded teams remaining in the tournament.

Oklahoma was trying to get past the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009, but it made only seven field-goal attempts in the second half and went 4-for-17 from behind the 3-point line. The Sooners averaged 72 points per game this season. The 58 points against the Spartans tied their second-lowest output of the season.

Junior guard Buddy Hield scored 21 points for Oklahoma and forward TaShaun Thomas added 16, but the Sooners’ bench managed just three points.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!