Michigan State vs. Middle Tennessee: March Madness 2016 Score, Twitter Reaction

Middle Tennessee (25-9) pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history Friday with a stunning 90-81 victory over Michigan State (29-6) at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. It's just the eighth time a No. 15 seed has defeated a No. 2 seed.

SportsCenter noted it's the fourth-biggest upset in the past 20 years based on the line, with the Spartans entering as 16.5-point favorites.

The Blue Raiders came out flying with 15 of the game's first 17 points to set the tone. While the Spartans predictably battled back, the underdogs were relentless on both ends of the floor. Every time it felt like the second seed was picking up steam, Middle Tennessee regained control.

The Conference USA tournament champions even stood tall in the second half as Michigan State threw everything but the kitchen sink at them while trying to make a comeback. They truly earned the win.

Reggie Upshaw led the way for Middle Tennessee with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists. Giddy Potts chipped in 19 points to help secure the shocking win. Matt Costello scored 22 points in a losing effort for the Spartans.

Here's how the drama-filled matchup played out:

Team	1st Half	2nd Half	Total
(2) Spartans	35	46	81
(15) Blue Raiders	41	49	90

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has earned 19 NCAA tournament bids in 21 years leading the program. He knows when an unheralded opponent is capable of causing problems, and that was the case with Middle Tennessee because of its three-point shooting, as Kyle Austin of MLive.com relayed.

"They shoot the ball a little bit like us as far as the number of threes, but they have five guys that are shooting them," Izzo said. "In other words, their center is a three-point shooter, and so it will be a little different cover."

Sure enough, the Blue Raiders came out firing on all cylinders. They bolted out to a 15-2 lead inside the first five minutes to the surprise of a Spartans squad that was one of the most popular national title picks coming into the tournament.

Although Michigan State eventually settled in, Middle Tennessee didn't back down. It continued to utilize a fast-paced offense to put pressure on the No. 2 seed's defense. That led to a lot of open looks, and the Blue Raiders connected on eight of their 12 attempts from beyond the arc in the first half.

Jaqawn Raymond provided one of the half's key plays as the Spartans tried to make a late surge into the lead before the break. Bleacher Report highlighted his four-point play:

All things considered, Michigan State was lucky to trail by just six at the break, given how poorly it played at on defensive end of the floor.

Chris Solari of the Lansing State Journal noted the lackluster first halves became somewhat of a trend for the Spartans down the stretch:

Meanwhile, a lot of March Madness bracket players were forced to the edge of their seat, as illustrated by the overall B/R Challenge numbers:

The second half featured the type of ebb and flow that makes March Madness so special. Michigan State quickly got the lead to two, and then Middle Tennessee stretched it back out to eight. The Spartans got within three, and the Blue Raiders surged back up by nine.

Freddie Coleman of ESPN Radio noted the Blue Raiders' fight:

Meanwhile, the Spartans were forced to maintain their own torrid pace on offense just to remain competitive. Usually, it's the opposite storyline, with the lower seed needing to knock down a bunch of threes in order to keep it close.

Bleacher Report highlighted one of the key buckets from Bryn Forbes:

Yet, no matter how hard Michigan State pushed and no matter how tense the situation became in the final minutes, Middle Tennessee never looked out of place. It outworked the Spartans for crucial rebounds and came up with several clutch shots to complete the massive upset.

Upshaw's emphatic dunk in the final minute basically told the story of the entire game in one clip:

B/R Insights further explained the remarkable nature of the upset:

"

No. 15 #MTSU is the lowest seed Tom Izzo has ever lost to in the NCAA Tournament (64 gms). #MarchMadness #MTSUvsMSU pic.twitter.com/Kk6UrzTzSr

— B/R Insights (@BR_Insights) March 18, 2016"

In the end, Middle Tennessee held on for a victory that will live on forever, regardless of how it performs in the rest of the tournament. Becoming just the eighth No. 15 seed to complete such an upset is a remarkable feat.

The Blue Raiders can still add more to the story Sunday against Syracuse in the second round. The biggest challenge will be getting their emotions back in check after such a monumental victory in order to play another game.

On the flip side, Michigan State goes from title contender to eliminated in the blink of an eye. The Spartans had three key seniors in Denzel Valentine, Forbes and Costello. That makes the loss even harder to fathom, and Izzo will have to work hard to replace their production before next season.

While the longtime coach dissects what went wrong, Middle Tennessee celebrates.

Postgame Reaction

Valentine, who finished with 13 points, 12 assists and six rebounds, attempted to shoulder most of the blame for Michigan State, per Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press.

"I didn't come through today, and I'll remember that for the rest of my life," the senior guard said.

Meanwhile, Izzo got emotional while talking about Valentine, as March Madness TV showed:

Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis reaffirmed what became blatantly obvious as his players challenged the Spartans up and down the court, as relayed by Mark Gunnels of Black Sports Online.

"It was a great day. Our guys believed they could win," he said.

John Harris of Trib Total Media noted Davis, who is in his 14th year as the Blue Raiders' coach, also talked about the message he sent to his team leading up to what seemed like a serious uphill battle against Michigan State:

"There's great college basketball stories this time every year. I said, 'Guys, why not Middle Tennessee?'"

Check out Bleacher Report's live updating bracket to track your picks along the road to the Final Four.