SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Junior guard Bryn Forbes scored Michigan State’s first five points in overtime as the seventh-seeded Spartans outlasted the fourth-seeded Louisville Cardinals 76-70 in the East Regional final Sunday afternoon at the Carrier Dome.
In the Final Four on Saturday in Indianapolis, Michigan State (27-11) will face South Regional champ Duke in NCAA basketball’s national semifinal round on Saturday.
“If this was football we’d say we’re going to Disney World,” Michigan State coach tom Izzo said. “But we are going to Indy and we’re excited about it.”
It will be the seventh Final Four for Izzo, who is now 21-4 in the second game of an NCAA Tournament weekend and 13-9 in the NCAA Tournament when Michigan State is the lower seed — the most lower-seeded victories in NCAA history. This will be the Spartans’ first Final Four appearance since 2010 as last year’s Michigan State senior class became its first class in Izzo’s 20 years to fail to reach at least one Final Four.
“They were on a mission to maybe start their own legacy,” Izzo said of this year’s team. “So many times here you’re following [successful teams] and once that was broken last year, their mission was to start a new one.”
Forbes’ 3-pointer from the corner — his third 3-pointer of the second half — broke a 65-65 deadlock at the start of overtime. Forbes then sank two free throws to boost Michigan State’s lead to 70-66.
Louisville pulled within two on senior forward Wayne Blackshear’s two free throws, but senior forward Branden Dawson’s putback on a Forbes’ 3-point miss and senior guard Travis Trice’s two free throws iced the win for the Spartans.
Louisville coach Rick Pitino (722 wins) and Izzo (495) have combined for 1,217 career wins, 14 Final Fours and three national championships. Pitino was looking for his 11th Final Four overall and third in the last four years.
“It’s a bitter pill to swallow because the Final Four is so special,” Pitino said. “They had total momentum and we came back and had a chance to win it. That speaks to me of a tremendous basketball team with great heart.”
Trice led the Spartans with 17 points, while junior guard Denzel Valentine added 15 points and Dawson grabbed 11 rebounds.
Blackshear led all scorers with 28 points, and junior forward Montrezl Harrell chipped in with 16 for Louisville.
Trailing 61-55, the Cardinals (27-9) pulled within three on a three-point play that included Blackshear’s layup and freshman guard Dillon Avare’s free throw after Blackshear was knocked woozy on the play. Blackshear returned and sank a 3-pointer from the wing to slice Michigan State’s lead to 63-62 with 1:48 remaining.
Blackshear’s two free throws gave the Cardinals a 64-63 lead, but Michigan State freshman forward Marvin Clark sank a left-handed scoop shot to give the Spartans a one-point advantage.
After Clark missed two free throws, Louisville sophomore center Mangok Mathiang had a chance to give the Cardinals the lead with 4.9 seconds left, but he made only one of two free throws to knot the score at 65.
His first free throw hit the rim and went straight up in the air before settling into the net. Izzo called a timeout and Mathiang missed his second shot, setting up Trice’s halfcourt shot at the buzzer that clanked off the backboard.
“I was positive we were going to win it when that first free throw went in, the way it went in,” Pitino said. “The difference in the game is that one team could really shoot and the other team really struggled (shooting).”
Duke 66, Gonzaga 52
HOUSTON, Texas — Duke punched its ticket to the Final Four and it could be a sign of more Blue Devils’ victories to come.
Freshman forward Justise Winslow and sophomore guard Matt Jones scored 16 points apiece to lead the top-seeded Blue Devils past the second-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs 66-52 in the South Regional final on Sunday at NRG Stadium.
Duke (33-4) earned its first trip to the Final Four since a national championship season in 2010.
Playing in the home of the NFL’s Houston Texans, Duke turned to a pair of Texans to lead it past the Bulldogs. Winslow, from Houston, hit a 3-pointer with 2:48 left to give the Blue Devils a nine-point lead.
Jones, from Desoto, Texas, nailed four 3-pointers and put the exclamation point on the win with a steal and a fast-break layup with 45 seconds left for the Blue Devils’ final tally.
Duke guard Tyus Jones scored 15, guard Quinn Cook added 10 and center Jahlil Okafor finished with nine points and eight rebounds.
Gonzaga (35-3) is still winless against top seeds, falling to 0-7 all-time. The Bulldogs reached the Elite Eight for only the second time and are still searching for their first Final Four appearance.
Forward Kyle Wiltjer led Gonzaga with 16 points, but guard Byron Wesley, who finished with 10, was the only other Bulldogs player in dough digits.
Gonzaga scored the first five points out of halftime as guard Gary Bell hit a 3-pointer and Wiltjer added a fast-break tip-in to tie it a 31 less than two minutes into the second half.
The Bulldogs stayed on the attack and extended the run to 12-3 and took a four-point lead when Wesley completed a three-point play with 16:20 left.
But the Blue Devils responded by scoring nine straight to re-establish a five-point edge. Four different Duke players scored during the run, which Okafor finished with a jumper over Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski.