The Tennessee Volunteers had a chance to advance to their first Final Four in school history on Sunday, but missed free throws by Brian Williams and Scotty Hopson late in the game helped Michigan State come away with a 70-69 win in the Midwest Regional finals.
The Spartans will make a return trip to the Final Four after losing in last year’s national championship game to North Carolina. Michigan State will be making their sixth trip to the Final Four in 12 years.
The Volunteers fought back from an eight-point deficit to take a 62-61 lead on a Williams put back with 6:11 remaining. Neither team held more than a two-point lead the rest of the game.
With the Spartans ahead 66-64, MSU’s Delvon Roe fouled Williams with 4:24 left, but the Vols’ 6-10 junior center missed both free throws. Williams, who shot 58% from the line for the season, missed 3 of 4 free throw attempts for the game.
The Volunteers made 14 of 21 free throws for the game matching their 67 percent season average.
Williams pulled Tennessee within 69-68 on a putback with 2:10 left. The Spartans’ Korie Lucious missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 29 seconds left and Hopson grabbed the rebound.
Hopson was fouled at the other end, and made the first. But after a Michigan State timeout, he missed the second and the Spartans took possession. Hopson missed 3 of his six free throw attempts for the game.
Draymond Green fed the ball inside to Raymar Morgan, who got hacked by J.P. Prince with 1.8 seconds left. Morgan made the first and, after timeouts by both teams, missed the second on purpose.
Williams came up with the rebound with 1.6 seconds left. After a Tennessee timeout, Prince caught the inbounds pass about 60 feet from the basket and heaved a desperation shot that fell well short.
Wayne Chism, playing his last game for Tennessee, led four Vols in double figures with 13 points. Prince had 12, Williams 11 and Hopson added 10.
Durrell Summers led Michigan State with 21 points while Green and Morgan tossed in 13 each.
Michigan State will face Butler, winner of the West Regional, in a national semifinal game on Saturday.
