Travis Trice scored 13 of his 23 points in the opening 5 1/2 minutes of the game to give Michigan State the lead and the Spartans managed to hold on for a 60-54 victory over Virginia, knocking the Cavaliers out of the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
Branden Dawson added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Spartans (25-11), who are seeded seventh in the East Region and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the seventh time in the last eight years. Michigan State will next play the winner between Oklahoma and Dayton on Friday in Syracuse.
Anthony Gill scored 11 points for Virginia and Darion Atkins contributed 10 with 14 rebounds in defeat. The Cavaliers (30-4) became the first ACC team to lose in this year's tournament, as the conference won its first nine games prior to Sunday.
These teams also met last year in the NCAA Tournament, as Michigan State knocked off a top-seeded Virginia squad in the East Region semifinals at Madison Square Garden by a 61-59 decision.
[SportsNetwork.com]
