Top Five NCAA Tournament Games in Michigan State History

2. Michigan State-Kentucky, 2005 Elite Eight

This game had it all—excitement, controversy, intrigue, you name it!  The Spartans were the No. 5 seed when they met the No. 2 seeded Kentucky Wildcats.  

This was a back-and-forth game as well, and with 20 seconds left Shannon Brown hit two free throws to put the Spartans up by three.  Kentucky then got the ball into Patrick Sparks' hands and he hit a shot that will be remembered for a long, long time. 

Sparks heaved a three-pointer from the top of the key that rattled around the rim for about six minutes and eventually fell into the hoop.  But was it a three?  The officials looked at this play for 10 minutes to decide whether or not his foot was on the line. They finally determined that the shot was indeed a three, and the game was sent into overtime. 

One overtime, however, was not enough.  The Spartans finally won this marathon in the second overtime, 94-88.  Shannon Brown finished with 24, and Maurice Ager had 21 to send the Spartans to yet another Final Four appearance.

1. Michigan State-Indiana State, 1979 National Championship Game

In one of the most memorable college basketball games not just in Michigan State history but NCAA history, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird faced off in a matchup for the ages.

Bird brought the Sycamores and their 33-0 record into this game against the No. 2-seeded Spartans.  

While this game was dubbed Magic against Bird, a different player decided this game. Greg Kelser, the Robin to Magic's Batman, shut down Larry Bird, holding him to 7-for-21 shooting from the field.  

Magic Johnson added 24 points to vault the Spartans to a 75-64 win and their first National Championship.  Magic also collected the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award. 

So there are some of the great games in MSU basketball history.  Hopefully, this year the Spartans will be able to make some new history and get back to the Final Four, where they rightly belong

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