DES MOINES, Iowa — Breaking down Saturday’s East Region second-round game between No. 2 Michigan State basketball and No. 10 Minnesota the 2019 NCAA tournament: Records: No. 2 seed Michigan State (29-6, 16-4 Big Ten); No. 10 Minnesota Golden Gophers (22-13, 9-11 Big Ten). Fast facts: Appx. 7:45 p.m., Saturday (CBS), at Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa. Winner plays next Friday in the Sweet 16 against either No. 3 LSU or No. 6 Maryland in Washington, D.C. About MSU basketball Tournament record: 66-31, 32 years (last appearance, 2018). Scoring: Team (78.7 ppg); Cassius Winston (19.1); Nick Ward (13.8); Matt McQuaid (9.9); Xavier Tillman (9.6); Kenny Goins (8.1). Rebounds: Team (40.8); Goins (8.9); Tillman (7.2); Ward (6.2); Aaron Henry (3.6); Winston (3.1). Assists/turnovers: Team (18.7/12.9); Winston (7.5/2.9); Goins (2.3/1.5); McQuaid (2.2/0.9) 3-pointers: Team (.381); Winston (76); McQuaid (67); Goins (50); Ahrens (20); Henry (11). Last 10: 9-1. Overview: The Spartans struggled into the middle of the second half against 15-seed Bradley before closing the game with a 22-10 run over the final 6:24 to pull away to a 76-65 victory in Thursday’s first round at Wells Fargo Arena. Winston continued to be a strong finisher, scoring eight of his game-high 26 points in that closing stretch. MSU also made 25 of 26 free throws, including 11 of 12 in the final 2:04, and held Bradley scoreless for a 4:39 stretch late in the half while going on a 9-0 knockout run. Tillman had 14 points and 11 rebounds, while McQuaid added 10 points. The Spartans won the only meeting with Minnesota, 79-55, on Feb. 9 in East Lansing. About Minnesota basketball Tournament record: 14-12 (8-9 with vacated appearances), 13 years (last appearance, 2017). Scoring: Team (71.2 ppg); Amir Coffey (16.3); Jordan Murphy (14.9); Daniel Oturu (10.9); Gabe Kalscheur (10.3); Dupree McBrayer (9.2). Rebounds: Team (37.0); Murphy (11.3); Oturu (7.1); Coffey (3.7); McBrayer (2.3). Assists/turnovers: Team (14.7/11.8); Coffey (3.2/2.4); McBrayer (3.0/1.2); Isaiah Washington (2.9/1.0); Murphy (2.7/2.3). 3-pointers: Team (.325); Kalscheur (77); McBrayer (42); Coffey (40). Last 10: 5-5. Overview: The Gophers got hot in the Big Ten tournament, winning two games including a second upset of Purdue in 10 days, before falling to Michigan in the semifinals. On Thursday, the Gophers upset 7-seed Louisville by shooting 50 percent and making 11 3-pointers despite entering the game 344th nationally in made 3s per game. Freshman guard Kalscheur scored 24 points and made five 3-pointers, while Coffey and Murphy each scored 18 points. It was Richard Pitino's first NCAA win in six seasons in Minneapolis, which is less than four hours from Des Moines. Saturday will be the first time Minnesota and MSU have met in an NCAA tournament and the earliest matchup between two Big Ten teams since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Prediction: MSU 78, Minnesota 70 Contact Chris Solari at csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.<doc-sep>After a grind against Bradley, the Spartans have advanced in the NCAA Tournament to take on Minnesota. The Spartans downed the Golden Gophers 79-55 earlier this season, but the Gophers are playing solid basketball right now. Who will win? See what our writers think. Ryan O’Bleness Michigan State 81, Minnesota 70 Michigan State was tested by a Bradley team that had nothing to lose, but I think MSU will play better overall against Minnesota. The Gophers are a familiar opponent, and though they are a much better team now than they were when the Spartans beat them by 24 on Feb. 9, I think MSU still matches up well and is the superior team. Minnesota played inspired basketball against Louisville and could be getting hot at the right time, but I just have a hard team seeing them pull off the upset. My fear, though, is that the injuries and fatigue have finally caught up to the Spartans. The depth is depleted. With all due respect to my main man, Conner George, I’m really hoping his services won’t be needed and the regular rotation remains intact. Go Green! Matt Hoeppner MSU 73, Minnesota 64 This team is getting to the second weekend if it kills them, and I just don’t see anyway that they can lose this game. Quick turnaround favors MSU in the coaching department, and it’s just not a great matchup for Minnesota. The Spartans shut down Coffey and Murphy last time around, and I expect the same game plan this time. Spartans win and advance to the sweet sixteen and we all gear up for next weekend in Washington. David Harns MSU 77, Minnesota 66 The NCAA Tournament is about matchups and Michigan State should match up better with a “conventional team” in Minnesota on Saturday - a team that has a couple bigs. The Spartans should be able to stay away from the “bizarre lineups” and feature more Nick Ward. If Kenny Goins finds his shooting touch again, this game won’t be close. Matt Sheehan MSU 72, Minnesota 65 The Spartans we saw on Thursday were a team that felt the pressure of once again losing to a 15 seed, and it showed. Now MSU gets a conference team they beat by roughly 1,000 points this year in the second round. I think that’ll give them some comfort. I truly think Kenny Goins has a comeback game on offense (and let’s not discount his great defense on Thursday despite a rough game shooting the ball) and the post game gets clicking early. Also, when is it too early to start drinking? Samuel Tyler MSU 82, Minnesota 75 Rip-roaring up and down game. Coffey and Kaluscher play great, but Winston closes it out. Izzo not pleased with the defense, but proud of a gutty team advancing to play another B1G team in Maryland in the sweet 16... the longest conference season ever. Just. Won’t. End. Zach Manning MSU 78, Minnesota 73 Minnesota is playing well right now, and the Spartans are coming off of a tough game against Bradley. However, MSU has more talent and the best player in the game, so I think that’ll be enough to pull out a win. Kenny Goins will play a big role in the win, knocking down a few key shots throughout the game. Kyle Thele MSU 74, Minnesota 60 This is not good for any MSU fan’s health. After a lackluster performance in the first round, the Spartans have to play a red-hot Minnesota team, all with the thought of not reaching the second weekend for the fourth straight year. But with that being said, the Spartans get the job done and advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Playing someone they are familiar with will actually help the turnaround process and give everyone a chance to rest their legs a little more. Added cherry on top, Aaron Henry hits a three and a highlight dunk.<doc-sep>Welcome to our live game coverage of Michigan State basketball in the 2019 NCAA tournament. On Saturday in the East region, the No. 2 Spartans take on No. 10 Minnesota in Des Moines, Iowa (approximately 8 p.m., CBS). In Thursday's first round, MSU beat Bradley, 76-65, and Minnesota upset Louisville, 86-76. The Spartans crushed the Golden Gophers in their regular season meeting in East Lansing on Feb. 9, winning 79-55 in front of Magic Johnson and the 1979 champs. The winner will face No. 3 LSU — which beat Maryland, 69-67 — in the Sweet 16 in Washington D.C. Join the live analysis and banter, led by Free Press special writer Joey Yashinsky. More:How Michigan State and Minnesota will make history in second round More:I played for Tom Izzo at Michigan State. Here's why I'm glad I did Live blog Live blog for mobile users.<doc-sep>
Michigan State takes on a recognizable program in Minnesota on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The No. 2 seed Spartans will square off with the No. 10 seed Golden Gophers with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. Below are details on how to watch or listen to the game, as well as links to relevant stories from throughout the week: When: Saturday, March 23, approximately 7:45 p.m. TV channel: CBS (Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Dan Bonner, Dana Jacobson) Stream: fubotv.com, CBS.com/all-access, CBS All-Access app, NCAA March Madness app Radio: Spartan Sports Network (94.9 FM/1240 AM in Lansing; 760 AM in Detroit). Click here for a full list of SSN affiliates Records: MSU (29-6), Minnesota (22-13) All-time: 70-60 MSU Last meeting: Feb. 9 at MSU. MSU won 79-55. Current streak: MSU +2 The Spartans desperately want to reach the second weekend of the Big Dance after failing to do so the past three seasons. Minnesota hasn't reached the Sweet 16 since 1997 when it made the Final Four, though that appearance was later vacated. The Gophers ran into an ambush in East Lansing when these two teams met on Feb. 9. MSU was hungry and ready to take out the anger of a three-game losing streak on someone else. Plus, the Spartans had their 1979 national championship team in the house for a reunion, which amped up the home crowd even more. Nick Ward dominated Minnesota that day as MSU cruised 79-55. Both teams have evolved quite a bit since that game. "It is different," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "Kenny (Goins) is back and he wasn't there but for a couple of minutes of that game. Kyle (Ahrens) is not there and he played in that game and maybe the biggest difference was I think Nick had 22 or 20 points. And Nick is pretty good defensively, especially on a good post player. Now, I think a guy like (Jordan) Murphy or (Daniel) Oturu are both better at putting the ball on the floor than they were early. We're both different. "If they shoot the ball like they did (against Louisville), that makes them a lot different than they've been all year. They've been a low 30s shooting team from the 3 and they're just shooting the ball better right now or at least did (Thursday)." Get the latest info on Michigan State football, basketball and recruiting sent straight to your inbox. Just enter your email address HERE to sign up for our free Spartans newsletter now!