Oklahoma vs. Michigan State: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

In a close, physical battle that came down to the wire, No. 7 seed Michigan State outlasted third-seeded Oklahoma with a 62-58 victory in the Sweet 16 on Friday night.

Travis Trice once again was the star for the Spartans, carrying the team with a game high of 24 points. MSU guard Denzel Valentine struggled with his shooting at times but came through with 18 points and seven rebounds in the win.

On the other side of the court, Buddy Hield did all he could with 21 points in the loss. However, the poor shooting down the stretch killed the Sooners' chances of winning despite having a lead for much of the contest.

The win puts the Spartans in the Elite Eight, a surprise considering where they were earlier in the season, as Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports described:

ESPN Stats & Info pointed out how good Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has been as a tournament underdog in his career:

Nicole Auerbach of USA Today and Matt Charboneau of The Detroit News had more from Izzo on how this victory feels:

If this Spartans squad can perform like it did over the past few rounds, it will have a good chance to advance to the Final Four.

This matchup was expected to be physical, and the two sides didn't disappoint. Within the first few minutes, Fran Fraschilla of ESPN took note of the game's style:

Oklahoma seemed to handle this issue in the first half with some aggressive play to take the early lead. Al Martin of WKAR described the difference in the opening minutes:

Fortunately for Michigan State, a few made shots in the closing minutes of the half kept the score respectable at halftime, via Nicole Auerbach of USA Today:

Despite the momentum, the Spartans struggled to take control until late in the second period. As David Gardner of Sports Illustrated noted, the first MSU lead took quite a long time to achieve:

The Sooners' shooting went ice cold down the stretch, which allowed Michigan State to take advantage and build up a five-point lead.

Trice then did his job to help close out the game on the offensive end, as Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde describes:

"

Michigan State takes its first lead of the game with just a little more than 9 minutes remaining in the second half

— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) March 28, 2015"

Michigan State—a team that couldn't make free throws all game (or all year for that matter)—then made its last five free throws to close out the four-point victory.

Before the game, head coach Tom Izzo discussed this year's team compared to past version, via Mike Griffith of MLive.com:

"

It's just not maybe the same kind of team we've been. I think a little less in talent, a little less in maybe the physicality of our team, but we've really grown as a team, and we've done the ultimate. That we play as good of a team defense, meaning everyone helping each other. 

I'm really proud of what they've accomplished so far.

"

After another great all-around performance, the Spartans will continue to grow as a team during their trip to the Elite Eight. 

ESPN Stats & Info had more on what this Elite Eight appearance means for Izzo:

The Spartans will now take on the No. 4 seed Louisville Cardinals with a Final Four spot on the line.

ESPN's John Gasaway discussed the upcoming coaching battle between Izzo and Louisville head coach Rick Pitino:

Although this is a matchup not many likely predicted in their brackets, it should be an entertaining battle Sunday.