After the first weekend of the 2025 NCAA Tournament delivered little in the way of drama, the second weekend has made up for it in short order with some incredible late-game drama to open the Sweet 16. Friday night’s opener between Ole Miss and Michigan State was extremely tight with neither team ever able to get much in the way of separation.
However, despite never leading by more than 3 points for the first 39 minutes of action, the Spartans were able to take control of the game in the final minute as the Rebels offense went cold at the worst possible time. With 6 seconds to play and Michigan State leading by four points (the margin by which it was favored in the game), a missed 3-pointer by Ole Miss effectively ended the drama of who would win the game, but it shifted the stress to some backers.
Ole Miss backers suddenly found themselves staring at a gut-wrenching loss when Tre Holloman calmly knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a 6-point Michigan State lead with 4 seconds to go. Any celebrations from Spartans backers were premature, however, as a Matthew Murrell logo 3 that bounced off the base of the rim and, somehow, dropped through at the buzzer to make it a 73-70 Michigan State win.
It was both a bad beat for those backing Michigan State and a bit of karmic justice for those supporting Ole Miss. The Rebels were the stone cold right side the entire game, and those that doubled down out of their pockets, all that compounding loss would have just been too much to bare.
On the other side, those who laid it with Sparty thought they had gotten away with a heist after those last two free throws had Michigan State handling business, but that Murrell 3 was a swift kick in the teeth at the end of a rollercoaster of a game.
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