NCAA Tournament TV Show: Wojo, Niyo Breaks MSU-UM’s Bracket
Bob Wojonowski and John Niyo watch the opening NCAA Tournament games for Michigan State and Michigan.
The Detroit News
In progress: Michigan State, UCLA looking for a winner in overtime
Johnny Juzang has the first points in overtime for UCLA. Rocket Watts airs then, because it is two shots in a very short time to miss the edge completely, in the inappropriate time possible.
Juzang records again in the next possession. This is 81-77, UCLA.
Josh Langford goes to the line, misses the first, but hits the second to make it a three-point game. Yet the state of Michigan seems to be fading.
Aaron Henry turns it around, and UCLA takes time to get the ball to Cody Riley for an emphatic dunk that raises the Bruins by 5.
Michigan State is rushing him in the opposite direction, and Langford is hitting a layout to make it a one-possession game. Juzang has gone down awkwardly and is unlikely to return.
UCLA Timeout: UCLA 83, Michigan State 80 (0:30 OT)
Henry airballs final shot for MSU; overtime on the road
Malik Hall hits a free throw from the break to complete his three-point game. This is 73-67, Michigan. Jules Bernard makes a layout on the other side, and will also get an en-1 opportunity after another TV timeout.
Media Timeout: Michigan State 73, UCLA 69 (3:38 2nd)
Bernard employs his release attempt. This is a 3-point game.
Rocket Watts throws up a prayer with the shooting bell expiring on the other side, Josh Langford fights for it, gets it back to Watts and the second guard puts it for 2 to make it 75-70.
Langford is being asked for a foul while trying to protect the perimeter and send Cody Riley to the line.
Riley hits both. It’s 75-72, Michigan. 1:46 left.
Michigan-Time-Timeout: Michigan State 75, UCLA 72 (1:38 2nd)
Aaron Henry is eclipsed in the side of the Spartans’ next possession and hits both free throws. Back to a five-point game.
Johnny Juzang drives off the baseline and makes a shootout at Langford. He beats both; the lead is back to 3 with 1:10 left.
Watts misses a 3 clean while UCLA heads the other way. Henry is being asked for a foul that Jaime Jaquez will send to the line. Jacquez misses the front of a 1-and-1, gets the setback and is eclipsed while completing a layup. He makes the en-1 free throw, and the match is tied.
28 seconds left.
Michigan State Timeout: Michigan State 77, UCLA 77 (0:17 2nd)
Henry isos, steps back, and balloons. Officials rule that Bernard got a piece of it with his block effort, but they go to the monitor with 3.3 seconds left. It’s currently a Michigan State ball, but it’s been reversed.
UCLA Ball. Tie match with 3.3 left.
Juzang throws a shot from halfway point at the buzzer, who misses. We’re on our way to overtime.
End 2nd: Michigan State 77, UCLA 77
Michigan State, UCLA trade leads in last minute
Jaime Jaquez takes the first basket from the halftime, a 3-point score that makes it 62-58, Michigan State.
AJ Hoggard and Jaylen Clark deal with layups to drive the story together.
Jaquez stays warm and nails a jump from the top of the key to make it a two-point game. He has gotten 24 tonight on 10 to 17 shooting so far.
Media Timeout: Michigan State 64, UCLA 62 (6:51 2nd)
Joey Hauser makes some free throws after the timeout, destroying Tyger Campbell immediately and then some with a 3-point lead on the other side. The lead is 1.
UCLA gets stopped, and Jules Bernard takes a lead to give the Bruins a 67-66 lead. Malik Hall makes a foul and makes both free kicks to make 68-67, Spartans.
Aaron Henry places Michigan State at 3 with a nice bucket inside. He has scored 14 points and seven assists so far. Hall enters again successfully, to raise the Spartans. He will get a free throw when we return.
Media Timeout: Michigan State 72, UCLA 67 (4:00 2nd)
The state of Michigan stabilizes after the UCLA run, and jumps out to a 7-point lead on a timeout of less than ten minutes
Marcus Bingham makes one of the two free throws from the halftime to make it 49-45, Michigan State. The Spartans stopped when Aaron Henry dropped a jump shot into the next possession to get a breathing chamber.
Bingham swings Mac Etienne’s effort to keep the momentum rolling.
UCLA wastes Michigan State revenue by transferring it itself, as Gabe Brown makes a plan to increase Michigan State’s lead to eight.
Tyger Campbell makes some free throws to put it back at 6.
After a number of stops for both teams, Michigan State makes a foul on Cody Riley, his fourth. Josh Langford increased the lead shortly afterwards to 8.
Johnny Juzang drills a three-pointer to stabilize the Bruins, which is answered by a Langford 3 on the other side.
Juzang makes another 3-pointer, which is answered by an Aaron Henry jump on the other side. It’s 60-55, Michigan.
Langford is taking another chance to force a UCLA timeout.
UCLA Timeout: Michigan State 62, UCLA 55 (9:20 2nd)
UCLA opens halfway within striking distance
Cody Riley is crashed out of the break on UCLA’s first possession and hits both free throws. Malik Hall answers with a dunk and makes it 46-35 Michigan State.
Jaime Jaquez makes a leap, followed by a Johnny Juzang 3, and UCLA reduced the deficit in a hurry. Juzang then hits a two-point jump on the next ball, and it’s 46-42.
Marcus Bingham breaks the momentum with a few free throws, but Jaquez nails a 3-pointer seconds later and UCLA forces a turnover on the next Spartan possession. This is a 3-point game.
Bingham make an offense inside before the break.
Media Timeout: Michigan State 46, UCLA 43 (15:55 1st)
State of Michigan takes 11-point lead at halftime
Malik Hall hits a free throw from the halftime to complete the en-1 and bring Michigan State to 29-21.
Jaime Jaquez gets UCLA back on the board with a layup before Aaron Henry drills three moments later to increase the lead to 9.
Then it’s Gabe Brown who slams a 3 in his defender’s face to give the Spartans their biggest son of the match.
UCLA Timeout: Michigan State 35, UCLA 23 (4:23 1st)
Jules Benard makes a three-pointer to stop the bleeding a bit, but Julius Marble responds with a layup on the other side. Spartans lead by 11 points.
Joey Hauser hits a three-pointer of his own to give Michigan State a 14-point lead, which Bernard answers with a three-point game on the other side.
Jaquez makes a jumper; Gabe Brown threw some free throws to make it 42-31.
Both teams have trouble finding the next few possessions, but Marble passes with 23 seconds left for Michigan State. Jaquez gets a shot in front of the buzzer and sinks it to end the half.
HALF TIME: Michigan State 44, UCLA 33
Spartans who find groove as the first half continues to turn
Cody Riley succeeds at halftime for UCLA to make it 19-17, Spartans.
Rocket Watts hits a three-pointer, then makes a lineup and forces UCLA to call a timeout.
UCLA Timeout: Michigan State 24, UCLA 17 (8:47 1st)
Aaron Henry nails a jumper from the break to extend the lead to 9, which immediately puts Riley back on 7 with a jump shot.
Johnny Juzang and Malik Hall exchange buckets before another TV timeout.
Media Timeout: Michigan State 28, UCLA 21 (7:02 1st)
Mid-range play keeps Spartans top in first half
Malik Hall is asked for a foul inside, and Jaime Jaquez hits 1 of 2 on the line. It’s 9-8, Spartans.
Jacquez continues to work inside and gets a bucket this time without failing to give UCLA the first lead of the game, 10-9.
Marcus Bingham hits two free throws to top again before Joey Hauser makes an essay to put it back at 13-10, Spartans.
David Singleton makes a 3 to tie the game at 13.
Bingham and Johnny Juzang swap buckets inside to make it 15.
Josh Langford and Joey Hauser nailed the Spartans’ back-to-back shots to give Michigan State a 4-point lead with just over ten minutes to go.
Media Timeout: Michigan State 19, UCLA 15 (10:02 1st)
Michigan State violation to a warm start against UCLA
Aaron Henry gets the first bucket of the game, a deep 3 that gives the Spartans the first lead of the game. Answer Johnny Juzang with a two-point jumper on the other side.
Henry and the Spartans work again with a nice dish for Julius Marble who earns 2, a ride to the track by Rocket Watts who still gets 2, and a jump from Julius Marble that leaves the Spartans pretty quick with 9-2 come up.
Jaime Jaquez hits a 3 and 2 on consecutive possessions to stop the bleeding.
Media Timeout: Michigan State 9, UCLA 7 (15:58 1st)
Prediction
Can Michigan State go from First Four to Final Four? The Spartans will begin answering the question on Thursday night.
Michigan State tackles UCLA Thursday night in an NCAA tournament at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:57 p.m. and is broadcast on TBS.
The Spartans (15-12) needed a blossom in the late season to get this far, and they have won five of their last seven games in the regular season – three against enemies who were in national fifth place. Michigan State stumbled in the second round of the Big Ten tournament and lost 67-58 to Maryland.
UCLA (17-9), meanwhile, enters the tournament on a four-game loss, including an 83-79 overtime loss to Oregon States in the Pac-12 tournament.
Follow here for live updates from Detolit News contributor Nolan Bianchi.
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