Spartans pull off upset
Travis Trice scored 23 points and Michigan State defeated second-seeded Virginia, 60-54, Sunday at Charlotte, N.C.
It’s the second year in a row in which the Spartans knocked the Cavaliers out of the NCAA tournament.
Trice scored 13 of his team’s first 15 points on fivefor-five shooting, including three three-point baskets, to help the Spartans build a 15-4 lead.
Branden Dawson had 15 points and nine rebounds for the seventh-seeded Spartans, who advanced to the Sweet 16 for the seventh time in the last eight seasons under Coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans will play Oklahoma on Friday in Syracuse, N.Y.
“Our thing was attack from the get-go and get a lead,” said Trice, in his first full season as a starter after three seasons as a reserve.
With top-seeded Villanova losing Saturday, it is the first time a No. 1 and a No. 2 seed from the same region didn’t advance to the Sweet 16 since Kentucky and Gonzaga in 2004.
The Cavaliers (30-4) were led by Anthony Gill’s 11 points and Darion Atkins’ 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Izzo made some defensive tweaks to his game plan after Michigan State’s firstround win over Georgia, and the Spartans (25-11) stole a page from last year’s regional semifinal win by limiting the Cavaliers to 29.8% shooting. Virginia made only two of 17 three-point shots.
Last year, the Spartans held the top-seeded Cavaliers to 35.1% shooting in a regional semifinal.
Sunday, the Cavaliers opened the game two of 10 from the field and could never get on track.
Louisville 66, Northern Iowa 53: Rick Pitino and the Cardinals are heading to the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year.
Terry Rozier scored 25 points and Montrezl Harrell had 14 to help lift the fourthseeded Cardinals (26-8) at Seattle.
The Cardinals will play eighth-seeded North Carolina State on Friday at Syracuse. The Cardinals packed it in against Northern Iowa’s top scorer, Seth Tuttle, holding him to 14 points and only seven shots.
The Panthers (31-4) were trying for their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2010.
Oklahoma 72, Dayton 66: Jordan Woodard had 16 points and a steal that set up Buddy Hield for a layup to give the Sooners a lead they never relinquished at Columbus, Ohio.
Lon Kruger became the second coach to take four schools to the Sweet 16.
Third-seeded Oklahoma (24-10) will play Michigan State on Friday at Syracuse.
The Flyers (27-9) came up a victory short of their second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16 as an 11th seed.
Hield scored 15 points, including a layup off a feed from Woodard at 5:56 that made it 57-56.
Oklahoma rallied with its defense, holding Dayton scoreless for 9:04 and without a basket for 10:32 in the second half.
Scoochie Smith led Dayton with 16 points.