2023 March Madness Sweet 16 bracket breakdown
No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 11 Michigan State聽
Heading into the second weekend of March Madness, Kansas State is the highest seed left in the East Region and likely the favorite to represent the region in the Final Four. After having a relatively easy win against Montana State, the Wildcats eked out a victory over Kentucky in a thriller. Kansas State鈥檚 veteran backcourt led them to victory with point guard Markquis Nowell leading all scorers with 27 points to go along with his nine assists and three steals. Nowell and fellow Wildcats star Keyontae Johnson both hit critical threes late to keep K-State ahead of Kentucky. Even though Oscar Tshiebwe and Kentucky dominated on the boards, the Wildcats turned the ball over 16 times and could not match Kansas State鈥檚 guard play.聽
Tom Izzo鈥檚 title as 鈥淢r. March鈥� is still intact after coaching the Spartans to a win over No. 2 Marquette on Sunday. Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard were too much for Marquette鈥檚 backcourt and the Spartans completely neutralized Big East Player of the Year Tyler Kolek. Michigan State鈥檚 defense forced key turnovers in the second half and it never felt like the Golden Eagles were able to get their footing. Even with the Spartans unable to shoot well from three, one of their strengths throughout the season, defense kept their lead intact throughout the second half. Izzo always finds a way to get his teams to play well at tournament time and this year looks like it could be another Michigan State run late into March.聽
This will be one of the best games of the Sweet 16 with both teams boasting talented backcourts. Nowell and Walker will battle all night for supremacy and whoever wins that matchup could decide who wins the game. These teams match up well but the Wildcats with Nowell and Johnson might just be too much for the Spartans to handle. Kansas State wins but it鈥檒l be close.聽
