CLEVELAND – On the eve of playing for a spot in the Sweet 16, Tom Izzo will be rooting for his archrival to advance across the country.
No. 5 seed Michigan will face No. 4 Texas A&M in a South Region second-round game in Denver on Saturday (5:15 p.m., CBS) and the Michigan State coach’s allegiance to the Big Ten means backing the maize and blue.
“Man, I’m pulling for them all,” Izzo said Saturday of the Big Ten teams. “I’m going to have to go in the closet when I do it but I’m going to pull for Michigan today too. That’s not normal.”
Michigan State, a No. 2 seed in the South Region, pulled away for an 87-62 win against Bryant early Saturday morning and will play No. 10 New Mexico on Sunday (8:40 p.m., TNT) at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. That improved the Big Ten to a record 8-0 mark in the opening round of this year’s NCAA Tournament…