Michigan State 65, Pitt 54 (3/22/08)
Michigan State’s brand of basketball is about more than simply beating people up.
When the game was on the line, Drew Neitzel and Kalin Lucas were Exhibits 1 and 1A.
The Michigan State guards put on a late shooting-and-ballhandling display to help the fifth-seeded Spartans pull away from Pittsburgh for a 65-54 victory Saturday night in the South Regional.
With Neitzel hitting from long range and Lucas driving for layups, the senior and freshman combined for 21 of their team’s final 25 points to help the Michigan State (27-8) win a battle of the bullies–a rough-and-tumble game between two Rust Belt teams who brought their show to the Rocky Mountains.
“I just wanted to be aggressive,” Neitzel said. “That’s what this team needs from me. Coach has been preaching that.”