Michigan State held off No. 2 Virginia in the second half to earn a huge upset win 60-54 on Sunday
NCAA bracket 2015: Michigan State drops No. 2 Virginia, 60-54, to reach Sweet 16
The No. 7 Spartans took an early lead and never looked back.
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After a Malcolm Brogdon layup with 12:21 in the second half, Virginia failed to hit another shot from the floor until Anthony Gill tipped in a missed jumper with 2:31 left. Free throws helped keep them within striking distance during the field goal drought, but the Cavaliers shot under 30 percent from the floor and could never get closer than three points in the second half.
No. 7 Michigan State built their initial lead immediately behind Travis Trice, who hit his first five shots. Virginia had to take a timeout when the Spartans' jumped out to a 15-4 lead with 14:32 left in the first half, but the Cavaliers cut the deficit to 23-18 by halftime. Trice wouldn't make another shot until 7:22 left in the game, but it was an important momentum-killing jumper as Virginia had cut the Spartans' lead to five.
Trice finished with 23 points on 7-15 shooting. His pull-up three-pointer late in the second half with the shot clock winding down proved to be crucial for the Spartans.
Virginia never found a consistent way to generate offense, relying too heavily on free throws or offensive putbacks. Darion Atkins led the team with 10 points, 14 rebounds and a couple of blocks, but Virginia's 2-17 shooting from behind the arc was devastating.
In the Sweet 16, Michigan State will face the winner of Sunday’s game between No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 11 Dayton.
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