DES MOINES, Iowa — For the second time in four NCAA tournaments, Michigan State basketball found itself in a dogfight as a 2-seed.
This time, it was East Region 15-seed Bradley making critical plays and draining momentum-swinging 3-pointers to push to the brink of a titanic upset.
But like Tom Izzo’s team did all season, the Spartans summoned up a scoring stretch through their fatigue and found a way to win.
With Cassius Winston making sure the Braves did not become the next Middle Tennessee State.
Winston scored four of his game-high 26 points in a 9-0 run late in the second half, and MSU hung on thanks to a scorching free-throw shooting performance for a 76-65 victory over Bradley on Thursday.