Tom Izzo shares how Joey Hauser took over Michigan State first-round game

It came down to the wire, but Michigan State advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 74-73 win over Davidson on Friday. Joey Hauser was a big reason the Spartans were able to win — and Tom Izzo addressed how he took over the game.

Hauser had 27 points on 9-for-12 shooting, including 4-for-6 from three, and eight rebounds to lead Michigan State to the first-round victory. He also hit some key free throws down the stretch, which proved to be big after Davidson’s Hyunjung Lee hit a three-pointer with two seconds remaining to make it a one-point Michigan State victory.

After Hauser’s big night, Izzo, who’s coaching in his 24th straight NCAA Tournament, had some lofty praise for his senior forward after his big night.

“He played about as complete a game as any forward I’ve had here in a long time, if you look at all the things he did,” Izzo said in his postgame press conference. “I got him sitting in there right now next to Miles [Bridges]. I told Miles just rub up and down on him all night long and see if we can get some of that jumping ability to rub off on Joey, and other than that, he did a helluva job.”

With the win, Michigan State advanced to the second round to set up a highly anticipated matchup with Duke and Mike Krzyzewski in the Round of 32. That game tips off at on Sunday 5:15 p.m. ET on CBS.

Tom Izzo: ‘There has been a different Joey in the last three weeks’

It was by far Hauser’s biggest game of the year, and Izzo said it’s part of a transformation he’s seen over the last month. He attributed it to Hauser’s career coming to an end, which is why he’s able to settle in a little more as he wraps up his college career.

“There has been a different Joey in the last three weeks,” Izzo said. “And I think part of it, it could be he’s feeling better, more comfortable and confident. It could be the end is near, so it makes you feel a different way. But I think he feels better about the game. It was really interesting listening to A.J. [Brown] and Gabe [Brown]. Joey was a guy that was maligned part of the time, and some of it, hey, that’s the nature of the beast that we participate in.”