Louisville vs. Michigan State: Score, Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

Michigan State is back in the Final Four for the first time since 2010 thanks to Sunday's 76-70 overtime win over Louisville in the Elite Eight.

After Cardinals sophomore Mangok Mathiang hit one of two free throws in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime, the Spartans pulled away in the extra period to book their trip to Indianapolis.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports compared the squad to last year's national champions:

Michigan State showcased some outstanding teamwork in this one, totaling 20 assists on 26 made baskets. Travis Trice led the way with 17 points, including three three-pointers, while Denzel Valentine added 15.

Bryn Forbes also came through with 14 points off the bench, five of which came in overtime.

Despite dealing with foul trouble, Wayne Blackshear was the star for Louisville with an impressive 28 points. However, a poor shooting day from Terry Rozier (6-of-23 from the field) and a quiet second half from Montrezl Harrell wound up costing the Cardinals.

Louisville shot just 18.8 percent from the floor after halftime, after hitting 52.3 percent of its attempts in the first 20 minutes. The improved defense from Michigan State changed the game and helped secure the victory.

Players from both sides thrived offensively in the early going, with Harrell in particular asserting his will on the game. Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports broke down the Louisville big man's play:

The action continued with a stretch where the two teams seemingly couldn't miss, although the Cardinals stayed ahead mainly due to Blackshear's hot shooting, as ESPN's Dana O'Neil described:

Michigan State cooled off a bit as Louisville stayed strong offensively to take a 40-32 lead at halftime.

ESPN's John Gasaway highlighted the Cardinals' surprising turnaround during the NCAA tournament:

Michigan State started to turn the tables in the second half, however, aggressively going into the paint and scoring with much more efficiency to cut into the Louisville lead. The Spartans defense also picked up a notch, as ESPN's Jeff Borzello noted:

With about eight minutes remaining, Michigan State took the lead for the first time in the second half as part of a 10-0 run to go up 57-51.

At the same time, Louisville couldn't get anything going in its half-court offense, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweeted:

Every time Michigan State threatened to pull away, however, Blackshear managed to bring the Cardinals back into the game. With just under two minutes remaining, he drilled a massive three-pointer to cut the Spartans' lead to one point. He knocked down a pair of free throws on the next possession to give Louisville a 64-63 lead. 

The two teams traded blows over the final minute of regulation, with Mathiang ultimately earning a trip to the free-throw line with only five seconds on the game clock. The big man knocked down his first freebie thanks to a lucky bounce, but couldn't convert the second, sending the game into overtime.

Heading into the extra period, Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated was one of many enjoying himself:

Forbes keyed Michigan State in overtime with five points, although Branden Dawson finished off the Cardinals with an offensive rebound and putback with 36 seconds remaining.

Jeff Greer of The Courier-Journal highlighted the importance of Dawson's big board:

The Cardinals failed to knock down a few last-second prayers, sending Michigan State to the Final Four with a six-point win.

Before the game, head coach Tom Izzo discussed what this group of players means to him, as noted by Nicole Auerbach of USA Today:

"

It's just been enjoyable. This has been the closest knit team I have, and it's been maybe a little less talented one that we've had...So, one more victory would be one of the sweeter moments in my career because I think it would teach you that you can do it a lot of different ways.

"

He did get that victory, and now his team will compete in the Final Four for the seventh time in his career.

Michigan State will take on the winner of Duke and Gonzaga in the national semifinals.

While this is already a much deeper run than anyone could have reasonably expected from this squad, it would be a mistake to count the Spartans out now.