ST. LOUIS — The game wasn’t over, but Darnell Harris raised both his arms as high as they would go. Just 6.6 seconds were on the clock — a fraction of a game that was already in Middle Tennessee’s grasp.

The Blue Raiders cheering section, The Blue Zoo, was small but loud, synchronizing in one continuous roar. This was a moment that seemed possible as soon as MTSU jumped out to a 15-2 lead, but wasn’t a certified reality until it actually was.

“We played our ass off today, man,” Giddy Potts said.

15th-seeded MTSU (25-9, 13-5 Conference USA) shocked second-seeded Michigan State (29-6, 13-5 Big Ten) and the college basketball world with its 90-81 win on Friday afternoon at the Scottrade Center. Every Spartan run was met with an MTSU answer.

All five of MTSU’s starters scored in double figures. They combined to make 11 3s, take 21 free throws and never let the Spartans take a lead or score more than eight consecutive points. The Blue Raiders will now face Syracuse on Sunday afternoon. The Orange defeated Dayton in the first round earlier on Friday.

“It’s so much national attention,” head coach Kermit Davis said. “And on CBS, on a Friday afternoon, and when you beat a team like that … And to do it on that kind of stage, it’s a great day for our whole university.”

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When Matt Costello’s and-one cut the lead to two early in the second half, MTSU scored six points in the span of 47 seconds to make the lead eight. Bryn Forbes responded with a 3. Then Potts hit now of his own.

Costello cut it to 65-64 with a layup. Then Harris hit an and-one. Colby Wallenman made two free throws to bring it to 77-76, then Perrin Buford hit an and-one layup. Every sniff at a run or any hope of momentum was always dashed by a Blue Raiders basket.

“In my wildest dreams I didn’t think they’d hit some of the shots they hit,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said in a tear-filled press conference. “We didn’t guard them real good. But, man, they made some shots. Boy, really take my hat off to the shots they made.”

After the game, players in the MTSU locker room spoke with large throngs of reporters. A lot of them looked as their phones started blowing up. Some, like Jaqawn Raymond stood with an ear-to-ear, smile on his face.

“We know it’s a big win. We know nobody think we was gonna win this game,” Raymond said. “I’m pretty sure there’s some brackets that’s not gonna win no money … We got our jobs done.”

For the Spartans, the locker room was quiet. In the press room, Izzo cried. He shot back at a reporter who asked about what the game meant for the future, saying he refused to look past today. Denzel Valentine lamented MTSU’s changing defense — everything from a 1-3-1 to 2-3 zone to man-to-man.

The loss pits Michigan State with Duke and Missouri from 2012, both No. 2 seeds that lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. But Michigan State was arguably the best team in the country. It had been snubbed of a No. 1 seed. It had Valentine, the consensus best player in the country. And suddenly, it was all over.

Margaret Lin | Senior Staff Photographer

“I will never forget this day,” Michigan State’s Marvin Clark said. “I just can’t let this happen again.”

The Blue Raiders will spend all of Friday night relaxing and celebrating. Then at 6 a.m. on Saturday, they’ll meet and go over tape. Assistant coach Win Case already spent the week watching Syracuse tape, he’s seen six of its games.

They were readying for a game that only they thought was possible. On Friday morning, Middle Tennessee State was just another 15 seed. Now, it’s a Cinderella story. It’s the winner of one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history.

“We weren’t scared of the moment,” Buford said.

Published on March 18, 2016 at 7:31 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3