Michigan State basketball did battle with Ole Miss on Friday night in the Sweet 16 in what turned out to be a hard fought, physical battle between the Spartans and Rebels. In the end, Michigan State snuck past Ole Miss, punching their ticket into the Elite 8 on Sunday.

Chris Beard and the Ole Miss Rebels battled until the final buzzer on Friday night in a Sweet 16 loss to the No. 2-seeded Michigan State Spartans. In Ole Miss'

Michigan State shot 22 free throws while Ole Miss only shot 10. Head coach Chris Beard said that was the reason for the loss. "The difference in the game was the free throw differential," Beard said after the game, via Brad Logan of 247 Sports.