The last time the legendary coach brought a team that far in the NCAA Tournament was also in 2019. In that year's Elite Eight, his Michigan State team also took down the No. 1 overall seed to punch a ticket to the Final Four — a memorable 68-67 upset of Zion Williamson-led Duke.

The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team has been eliminated from the 2025 NCAA tournament. The No. 2 seed Spartans fell to the top-seeded Auburn Tigers on Sunday afternoon 64-70 in the Elite Eight round of the tournament.

The Tigers enter on quite a run, with 31 victories and three wins in the NCAA Tournament, the latest coming Friday over MSU’s in-state rival Michigan, 78-65. After a sloppy first half, Auburn turned it on in the second to get the job done — setting up the south regional final Sunday at State Farm Arena (5:05 p.m., CBS).