Watch Michigan State compete in Manager Games at Final Four

Indianapolis — Sometimes, they let the managers play. At least that is the motto of the Manager Games, the place Michigan State’s basketball managers took to the court docket Friday afternoon.

Tucked off to the aspect of a busy Final Four Fan Fest on Friday at the Indianapolis Convention Center, seven groups duked it out in the 2026 Manager Games Elite Eight.

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As one might think about for a gathering of hyper-committed faculty basketball managers taking part in their last recreation of the season, the scene was electrical.

Groups of followers crammed the railings and a few seats on one finish to observe the video games as beats blared from the audio system. The video games performed out like high-level pickup runs. Players dove for balls and went up for contested rebounds. One participant even chipped a tooth.

As far as outcomes went, Michigan State misplaced, 28-27, to Kentucky in the Elite Eight, then downed Iowa in a comfort recreation, 32-28. Arkansas turned the primary two-time champions of the Games with a 45-34 win over Kentucky.

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The Games date again to 2014 and had been based by former pupil managers Ian May, Andrew Novak and Kevin Pauga of Michigan State and Thomas Northcutt of Auburn. The occasion happens yearly at the Final Four, this yr in Indianapolis the place Michigan takes on Arizona and UConn faces Illinois on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Michigan State led Kentucky by two at halftime, however the Wildcats pulled away for the win in a good end. The Spartans additionally led Iowa after a timeout with 20.4 seconds left in the primary half arrange a nook 3 for a 14-12 lead. Michigan State gave up a 3 out of the break, however this time a 10-0 run pulled away for the eventual win.

The environment? Well, let the movies communicate for themselves.

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@ConnorEaregood

This article initially appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan State lost in the Manager Games at the NCAA Tournament