While the game only ended in an eight-point difference between the Louisville Cardinals and the Michigan State Spartans, head coach Pat Kelsey's squad still looked to be a far cry from the likes of Tom Izzo's team.
Yes, of course, Louisville star Mikel Brown Jr. was still missing from the lineup with a back injury, and no, it didn't help that Ryan Conwell was seemingly playing until the last breath left in his body during the game, but Kelsey's team just looked outplayed and outpaced throughout the matchup.
No, this is not to say that Kelsey has done a poor job with the Cardinals; they were a No. 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament after all. However, the Louisville head coach undeniably needed more than just one star player in the lineup to get over the hump of beating the Spartans.
Michigan State outplayed Louisville in nearly every stat column
With the loss, Louisville missed out on making it to the Sweet 16... once again. The last time the Cardinals made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament? 2015 (which was vacated). Yes, the same year that none other than the MSU Spartans beat them one round later in the Elite Eight.
Brown's presence in the lineup obviously would have made a difference; the Sparties simply played excellent basketball, and it would have been nearly impossible for any Louisville squad to topple this team when it's playing at 100 percent.
MSU shot better from the field, beyond the arc, and at the free-throw line. MSU brought down more rebounds and dished out more assists. MSU got up for more blocks and was called for fewer fouls.
At the end of the day, Michigan State was the better team on Saturday afternoon, with or without Brown in the rotation. Despite Louisville committing fewer turnovers and earning more steals, it just wasn't enough for Kelsey's team to beat the Sparties.
Quite simply, Michigan State shot over 42 percent from three-point range, made 14 free throws, and played excellent ball in nearly every corner of the court.
Most notably, Spartan guard Jeremy Fears Jr. had a program record-setting performance with 16 assists (alongside 12 points), seemingly dissecting the Louisville defense throughout the entirety of the game.
While Louisville heads home, Michigan State moves on to the Sweet 16 to face the winner of the seven-seed UCLA versus the two-seed UConn.