Jim O'Connell AP Basketball Writer
The top-seeded Spartans (26-4) had eight players score six or more points in an 81-65 victory over No. 9 Fresno State on Sunday and they advanced to regional semifinals.
They will play 12th-seeded Gonzaga, which beat No. 13 Indiana State 85-68 in the second round, on Friday in Atlanta.
The four straight appearances ties Duke, the top seed in the East, for the longest current streak.
The Spartans held the Bulldogs (26-7) 17 points below their average for the season and, as expected, dominated the rebounding. Michigan State, which led the nation for the second straight year in rebound margin at plus-15.5, outrebounded the Bulldogs 48-32. Fresno State was last in the Western Athletic Conference in that statistic at plus-1.6.
Charlie Bell and Aloysius Anagonye each had 13 points to lead the Spartans, who are looking for their third straight Final Four appearance. Andre Hutson added 12 points and eight rebounds for Michigan State, while David Thomas had 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Melvin Ely, the WAC player of the year, led the Bulldogs with 17 points, but they came in 27 minutes as he fought foul trouble throughout and played the final 16:58 with four fouls.
The loss ended coach Jerry Tarkanian's pursuit of a 14th trip to the round of 16 in 18 tournaments. The Bulldogs' win over California in the first round was his first NCAA win at Fresno State and first since he led UNLV to the Final Four in 1991. His other round of 16 appearances came at Long Beach State (4) and UNLV (9), where he won the national championship in 1990.
A drive by Mike Chappell gave Michigan State its biggest lead of the first half, 34-20 with 4:49 left, and the Spartans led 37-20 at halftime, holding the Bulldogs to 29 percent shooting, including 0-for-9 from 3-point range.
Fresno State was able to get within seven twice, the last at 61-54 with 9:35 to play on a jumper by Noel Felix, but the Spartans never let them close again.
A three-point play by Jason Richardson started a 7-0 run that gave Michigan State a 73-56 lead with 5:07 and ended any chances of a comeback by the Bulldogs.
Fresno State finished the game shooting 35 percent (24-for-68) and were 2-for-16 from 3-point range.