Freshmen lead Michigan State past LSU and into Elite Eight

WASHINGTON (AP) — For all of Michigan State's veteran experience, its freshmen led the way into the Elite Eight.

Aaron Henry scored a career-best 20 and fellow frosh Gabe Brown had 15 as the second-seeded Spartans beat third-seeded LSU 80-63 on tonight to move on to the NCAA Tournament's East Region final.

Coach Tom Izzo's upperclassman-heavy team is one victory away from its first Final Four appearance since 2015.

Michigan State took it to LSU on the glass, outrebounding the Tigers 34-20. At halftime, Michigan State had as many offensive rebounds as LSU had total boards, at times making it look like 5-on-4 when the ball came off the rim.

It didn't bounce off the rim much for the Spartans early as they took advantage of an LSU defense that left them uncontested 3-point shots. Michigan State had five 3s in the first 10 minutes alone, and LSU never adjusted defensively.