NCAA Tournament: Mammoth run leads Michigan State past Robert Morris

For 15-plus minutes in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the Robert Morris Colonials went toe-to-toe with big, bad Michigan State.
 
In the next 9 minutes, reality set in... and so did the feet of the Spartans' defenders, who awakened early enough to avoid any last-minute drama in Minneapolis.

The final set of games in the first round of the NCAA Tournament was not kind to higher seeds. Siena, a 9 seed, beat No. 8 Ohio State. Cleveland State, a 13 seed, knocked off fourth-seeded Wake Forest in blowout fashion. Wisconsin, a 12 seed, nipped No. 5 Florida State at the wire. With favored teams falling left and right, Michigan State didn't want to take any chances. Given Pittsburgh's too-close-for-comfort escape job against East Tennessee State earlier in the day, the Spartans had to know that if they let Robert Morris hang around well into the second half, they might have had to face their mortality far sooner than they planned. Therefore, when the pesky 15 seed from the Northeast Conference tied the score at 30-all with 4:44 left in the first half, Tom Izzo's second-seeded squad--while certainly not scared--had to develop an extra level of urgency.
 
Thankfully for the members of Sparty, that added juice began to flow soon enough. Just when the Izzone were set to perspire during and after the halftime break, Michigan State put a lid on the Robert Morris basket. In a nine-minute stretch that bridged the final 4:44 of the first half and the first four-plus minutes of the second half, the Spartans shut out the Colonials en route to a 22-0 run. The final 15 minutes of regulation became a mere formality as a result, and MSU coasted home with a 77-62 win that moves the Spartans into Sunday's second round against No. 10 USC.

The key players in this game for Michigan State were the men chiefly responsible for the 22-0 burst. Kalin Lucas whizzed past an increasingly jelly-legged Robert Morris defense, but Izzo also saw some bench players blessedly step to the forefront for his ballclub. Draymond Green warred on the glass when the Spartans put their 15th-seeded foe to bed, and Chris Allen chipped in some perimeter shots to increase Michigan State's confidence. A few plays turned into a few more, and before Robert Morris could blink, that 30-all tie became a 41-30 halftime deficit, which--in turn--became a 52-30 score in favor of Sparty with 15:30 remaining in the second half.
 
On Sunday, Michigan State will once again need its bench to shine, because USC is long, athletic and full of confidence at the moment. MSU shouldn't expect to pop off a 22-point run against the Trojans, but if guys like Draymond Green and Chris Allen make significant contributions, it's very likely that the Big Ten's best team will find itself back in the Sweet 16.

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