Spartans, Boilermakers Win Thrillers

The Michigan St. Spartans beat the Maryland Terrapins 85-83 in a thriller that resulted in Korie Lucious hitting the game winning three-pointer as time expired. A couple of hours later, their Big Ten counterparts, the Purdue Boilermakers, won their second round game against the Texas A&M Aggies 63-61 in overtime. Chris Kramer drove past the Aggies defense for the game-winning layup with 4.2 seconds left. B.J Holmes desperation three at the buzzer was short. Michigan St. will take on Northern Iowa in the Sweet 16, and Purdue will face Duke.

Purdue's advancement to the Sweet 16 is surprising to some because they are without the services of Robbie Hummel. Hummel is the team's second leading scorer behind E'Twaun Moore, and they struggled after his injury. They were embarrassed in the Big Ten tournament by Minnesota, only scoring 11 points in the first half en route to a 27 point loss. Purdue also faced Siena, who advanced past the first round of the tournament the past two seasons. The Purdue-Siena matchup were a lot of people's choice for an upset, but they were able to pull it out.

Michigan St. advanced, but they struggled to get past New Mexico St. in the first round, and they let a big lead against Maryland slip away as well. However, their problems have just begun. They are facing a Northern Iowa team who beat the overall #1 team in Kansas. They will also be without the services of Kalin Lucas, who tore his ACL during the game. Lucas is their leading scorer, and they struggle to get shots without him.

For Purdue and Michigan St., their runs in the tournament will end on Friday. Northern Iowa, even though a performance like what they had against Kansas probably won't happen again, were in the top 25 earlier this season. They are a legit basketball team with a legit big man presence in the middle. Michigan St. will have a lot of problems with Northern Iowa without Lucas. Purdue, without Hummel, will not be a factor against a healthy Duke team. Duke has three players who are averaging over 17 points a game.

This is March Madness, however, so anything can happen. A lot of people didn't give the Spartans a chance against Kansas in the Sweet 16 last year and Louisville in the Elite 8. They have to get on the court and perform.