WATCH: Controversial no-call looms over Michigan State vs Marquette in wild finish

Michigan State is on to the Sweet Sixteen following a 69-60 victory against Marquette on Sunday, but it didn’t come without controversy at the end. With two minutes to go, Golden Eagles guard Tyler Kolek went up for a layup to make it a one-possession game, but had his shot blocked by Spartans center Mady Sissoko.

However, it appears as if the ball may have touched the backboard before Sissoko’s rejection, which would result in a goaltend and two points awarded to Marquette. Officials held their whistles, though, and Golden Eagles coach Shaka Smart expressed his frustrations over the no-call. You can view the moment below and decide for yourself.

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To make matters worse, Michigan State’s Tyson Walker scored on the ensuing possession to increase the lead to seven. The swing effectively ended any hope two-seeded Marquette had at coming back and sent the Spartans on to the next round.

The Sweet Sixteen appearance is the 21st in program history for Michigan State and the 15th under coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans are set to face No. 3 seed Kansas State in their next matchup as they hope to continue their run through the tournament.

More on Michigan State’s win against Marquette

The Spartans led for the majority of the second half on Sunday, but had to stave off a late push from the Golden Eagles to pull off the victory. Marquette made it a 56-55 game with 3:36 to play following a free throw from Olivier-Maxence Prosper to put the pressure on Michigan State.

The Spartans responded in a big way, going on a 10-0 run up to the 39-second run capped by a duke from Tyson Walker. The Michigan State guard scored eight points during the run, finishing the game with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting to lead the team.

Joey Hauser, who began his college career at Marquette before transferring to Michigan State in 2019, finished second with 14 points along with a team-high 10 rebounds. AJ Hoggard chipped in 13 points and four assists.

The Spartans led by as many as 12 points in the first half before allowing the Golden Eagles to make the late comeback. Free throw shooting played a big part in the win, especially in the second half where Michigan State was 15-of-17 (88.2%) from the stripe.

With the win, Izzo made NCAA Tournament history, becoming the first coach to reach six Sweet Sixteens as a five-seed or lower. He also notched his 16th tournament win as the lower-seeded team, surpassing Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim for No. 1 on that list.