from the Detroit Free Press and CLICK HERE to read all…..
GREENSVILLE, S.C. — Every time Michigan State basketball needed a basket, Joey Hauser seemed to hit it.
Every time the Spartans needed a jolt of adrenaline, A.J. Hoggard seemed to deliver it.
And when Tom Izzo needed a spark with the season hanging in the balance, he finally found a combination around those two that helped his team advance to a date with Duke.
With No. 10 seed Davidson building a five-point lead with a little over five minutes to play, Izzo went to a Hoggard-Tyson Walker backcourt and matched the red-hot Hauser with Gabe Brown and Julius Marble. That quintet helped deliver a 16-3 run down the stretch, including 10 straight points, and No. 7 seed MSU hung on in a wild final minute for a 74-73 victory Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
MSU (23-12) faces No. 2 seed Duke on Sunday in the second round at 5:15 p.m. Sunday on CBS.
Izzo is tied with Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski for the most consecutive tournament appearances all-time by a coach at a school with 24.
Duke beat 15-seed Cal State Fullerton, 78-61, on Friday.