Michigan State freshmen Cam Ward and Jordan Scott delivering pivotal contributions early on

In what felt like a March atmosphere, the Breslin Center was booming with less than a minute remaining in the game, and the Spartans up by three.

After getting the needed stop and watching the final seconds tick off the clock, No. 22 Michigan State took the 69-66 win over No. 14 Arkansas, tying up the record of Hall of Fame coaches Tom Izzo and John Calipari, who now each have three wins in their head-to-head series.

In addition to the quad one win on their NCAA Tournament resume, what had Izzo smiling after the game was the performance from both of his freshmen, Cam Ward and Jordan Scott, who have proven to be a bright spot, playing with toughness and confidence.

“The encouraging thing for me is our two freshmen were really, really, really good,” Izzo said. “Cam Ward was really good and so was Jordan (Scott).”

In what felt like a March atmosphere, the Breslin Center was booming with less than a minute remaining in the game, and the Spartans up by three.

“The encouraging thing for me is our two freshmen were really, really, really good,” Izzo said. “Cam Ward was really good and so was Jordan (Scott).”