Spartan Hoopla: Now The Aggies Know Who Kalin Lucas Is, MSU Advances

In a tale of two halves, the Michigan State Spartans were able to squeak by its first-round March Madness opponent, the New Mexico State Aggies, by a slim 70-67 margin.

Raymar Morgan's late free throw and put back flush off Durrell Summers' missed shot from the perimeter were the deciding factors that allowed Sparty to advance to play the winner of the Maryland-Houston match up.

Michigan State cruised to a double-digit lead in the first half, only to see it evaporate in the second frame. Untimely turnovers and lack of zeal were to blame, but on the strength of Kalin Lucas' game-high 25 points, Tom Izzo could breathe a little.

Summers added 14 points, three offensive rebounds and two steals to help the hobbling Spartans along.

No one said it was going to be pretty—and it wasn't. 

A lot of college basketball "experts" forecasted an early Michigan State exit from the festivities.

To see the Aggies surge in the second half like they did, that prediction wouldn't have been so outlandish. Jahmar Young, who fouled out with just under a minute to play in the final set, scored 11 of his 13 points in the last 20 minutes.

Young was a contributing factor to a hot Aggie offense that outscored Sparty 38-28 in the second half. Johnathon Gibson shot 4-for-9 from downtown and finished with 16 points. Gibson's long-ball ability kept New Mexico State within striking distance until the very end.

Going back to the basics was another positive for the Izzo clan: rebounding. Michigan State was able to control the boards both offensively and defensively when push came to shove, outboarding the Aggies 14-9 offensively, 38-32 overall.

If the Spartans hope to advance past the second round, they'll have to clean up their play a bit. A win is a win, especially in March, so Sparty on Spartan fans, your team made it.