ATLANTA>> Jase Richardson’s hot shooting helped Michigan State overcome a poor start and move into another Elite Eight, though the Spartans need at least one more win for a real celebration.

“We don’t put up any banners for Elite Eights,” coach Tom Izzo said. “We put up banners for Final Fours and national championships.”

Richardson kept the Spartans in the hunt for one with 24 points and Michigan State surged past Mississippi in the second half for a 73-70 victory on Friday night.

Ole Miss (24-12) was denied in its bid for its first Elite Eight appearance despite leading by 10 points in the first half and by nine in the second half.

Michigan State (30-6), the South Region’s No. 2 seed, rallied to keep alive Izzo’s bid for his ninth Final Four and second national championship. The Spartans will play either No. 1 seed Auburn or rival Michigan on Sunday.

Izzo, in his 16th Sweet 16, earned his 59th NCAA Tournament win, breaking a tie with Jim Boeheim of Syracuse for fourth all-time.

For most of Friday night’s game, however, the Spartans didn’t appear to be a threat for another Final Four.

The Rebels led 29-19 in the first half and 48-39 in the second. The Spartans’ first lead, at 51-50, came with less than 8 minutes left on the clock.

“I think for us, in the first half we weren’t being as aggressive as we should have been,” Richardson said. “The second half, it opened up for us.”

Richardson, the son of former Michigan State and NBA standout Jason Richardson, shot 6 for 8 overall and 4 for 6 on 3-pointers.

“I just felt like my teammates were putting me in position to be successful today,” Richardson said.

A drive and short jumper by Jaden Akins gave Michigan State a 65-63 lead. Following two misses by Rebels guard Dre Davis, Izzo called timeout with 57 seconds remaining and then pumped his fist as he welcomed his players back to the bench.

Following the timeout, Carson Cooper’s layup stretched the lead to 67-63, then the Spartans’ biggest lead of the game. A floater by Ole Miss guard Sean Pedulla, who led the Rebels with 24 points, cut the lead to two.

Ole Miss coach Chris Beard was emotional in his postgame news conference. “I’m just thankful,” Beard said. “What these guys did, they raised expectations, first for them and then for the program.”

Ole Miss was making only its second Sweet 16 appearance after losing to Arizona 66-56 and failing to advance to the 2001 Elite Eight.

Beard said the Rebels’ lack of Sweet 16 experience “had zero factor” in being outscored 42-37 in the second half.

Tennessee heading back to Elite Eight with win over Kentucky

INDIANAPOLIS>> Those two regular-season losses to Kentucky don’t mean anything to Tennessee now.

The Volunteers avenged them in convincing fashion on the big stage of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night, posting a no-doubt 78-65 victory that sent them to a second consecutive Elite Eight.

Zakai Zeigler had 18 points and 10 assists, and Tennessee outhustled and outplayed Kentucky on both ends of the court. The second-seeded Vols (30-7) beat their border rival in the first all-Southeastern Conference Sweet 16 matchup since 1986 and will play Sunday against Houston or Purdue in the Midwest Region final.

“We really wanted to set the tone and show them who we were,” Zeigler said. “The first two times we played them at their place and our place. We knew regardless of what happened, we were going to go out and play Tennessee basketball on the offensive and defensive end, and I feel like we did that great tonight.”

No one enjoyed the show at Lucas Oil Stadium more than Peyton Manning, who was back in the town where he spent 13 years and won a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts. The Vols’ most famous sports alum was in a bright orange ballcap seated behind the bench as Tennessee ran off with the win in the “House Peyton Built.”

Lamont Butler scored 18 points to lead first-year coach Mark Pope’s third-seeded Wildcats (24-12), who were held 20 points under their season scoring average. Their 65 points matched their fewest in a game this season.

“It’s hard to talk about basketball right now,” Pope said. “Congratulations to Tennessee. They played really hard and really well. I have a ton of respect for coach (Rick) Barnes. Mostly, we’re just sad that this is over.”