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Well, certainly few expected an upset of this magnitude.
But it happened.
Middle Tennessee outplayed Michigan State University, winning 90-81. MSU becomes just the eighth 2-seed to fall to a 15-seed in the history of the NCAA Tournament, according to the Detroit News.
Tennessee jumped out to a 15-2 lead and seemed to have the edge throughout the game.
Matt Charboneau of the Detroit News writes:
The run to the national title that seemed like a forgone conclusion for Michigan State instead ended in arguably the most stunning loss in program history.
Joe Rexrode writes in the Free Press:
Coaches, and Tom Izzo in particular, talk about getting “punched in the mouth” early in games – but this was a headlock and several jabs to the jaw.
Middle Tennessee State did everything right for five astounding minutes. Michigan State did everything wrong. And it was Midwest No. 15 seed Blue Raiders 15, No. 2 seed Spartans 2 before some of Tom Izzo’s players seemed to grasp what was happening to them.
The Associated Press writes:
No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee State sent the biggest shock yet through the NCAA Tournament on Friday, topping second-seeded Michigan State 90-81 in the first round.
Kyle Austin of MLive writes:
Denzel Valentine was the last player to walk off the court, his hands upturned in an expression of disbelief.
His standout Michigan State career had ended seconds earlier, when he walked to the bench with 5.1 seconds left, received his handshake from Tom Izzo, and heard the buzzer sound on an upset loss in the NCAA Tournament that nobody saw coming.
Jacob Feldman of Sports Illustrated writes:
No. 15 seed Middle Tennesee pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history Friday, knocking off No. 2 seed Michigan State, one of this year’s title favorites, 90–81. Reggie Upshaw put an exclamation point on the win with an and-one dunk with 39.7 seconds left. The Blue Raiders are the eighth No. 15 seed to win a game in March Madness.
The Spartans never led, though they did pull within one multiple times in the final minutes. Player of the Year candidate Denzel Valentine dealt with foul trouble and finished with six turnovers as his team lost in regulation for the first time since Jan. 20. Down three with 1:25 left, Michigan State let the Conference USA champs come down with an offensive rebound. Twenty-five seconds later, Giddy Potts hit a contested jumper in the lane to put MTSU up two possessions.
