The most noticeable difference between the two teams was depth by the time the under-12 media timeout for Sunday night’s game between No. 2 Michigan State and No. 10 Mexico arrived. Because of revenue sharing and NIL, which further stratify the sport, schools from high-major conferences should nearly always have more talent than their counterparts from the smaller leagues, thus such a discovery couldn’t exactly be seen as revelatory. The impact—or lack thereof—that each team experienced when one of its stars had an unusually quiet performance, however, was what really highlighted the differences between the Spartans and the Lobos in the Round of 32.
Jase Richardson, the explosive true freshman who came into the game averaging 17.5 points per game over his previous eight games, was that guy for Michigan State, who defeated Bryant in the first round. One of the main causes of head coach Tom Izzo’s team’s development into a genuine Final Four contender from the South Region is his growth and development. Without him, the squad would not have a true star. Against New Mexico, Richardson started the game 0-for-9 from the field and was kept scoreless until the 1:32 mark of the second half.
With averages of 20.6 points and 6.4 assists per game, point guard Donovan Dent, one of the top players in the nation at his position, was the cause of the output drop for New Mexico, which pulled off a slight upset over seventh-seeded Marquette in the opening round. Dent, a junior now, was the eighth-highest scorer in the nation this season and had emerged as the Mountain West Player of the Year. When play was halted with 11:55 left in the second half, he had only six points and had missed eight of his first 11 attempts against Michigan State.
However, the upstarts from New Mexico had no one who could fill Dent’s large shoes, while the Spartans had a few prepared substitutes who could counterbalance Richardson’s cold shooting on any given night. Frankie Fidler, a transfer from Omaha, scored 10 points and shooting guard Jaden Akins scored 16 points for Izzo’s side, despite the fact that Fidler hadn’t scored in double digits since February 18. Coen Carr and Szymon Zapala combined for 12 points for the Spartans, while Tre Holloman scored 14 points, including a 3-pointer with 4:33 left that increased the margin to nine. By the end of the game, Michigan State’s bench scored 36 points while the Lobos only managed seven.
Even with the heroic efforts of center Nelly Junior Joseph (16 points, seven rebounds) and Mustapha Amzil (14 points, four rebounds), New Mexico, who had taken a 10-point lead early in the game, was unable to match the type of multifaceted onslaught. Before Dent eventually put together a couple baskets in the second half and finished with 14 points total, they were in charge of carrying the most of the scoring load. However, it appeared impossible to erase Michigan State’s slim six-point advantage after Joseph fouled out with 2:12 left, leaving Dent to take almost all of the defensive focus solo. With a 71-63 victory, the margin was sufficient to propel Izzo’s squad into the Sweet 16.
