Upset of the Day
#7 Michigan State Spartans out-defends #2 Virginia Cavaliers in 60-54 win
In a battle of nitty gritty defenses, it was Michigan State that amped up the pressure, holding Virginia to 29 percent shooting and kept Malcolm Brogdon in check all game long. Senior Travis Trice provided the early spark the Spartans needed to get off to a good start and never panicked when the Cavaliers tried to claw back.
For the second year in a row, Virginia has won the ACC regular season title, won 30+ games and been promptly bounced from the NCAA Tournament by a Tom Izzo-led squad. The Cavaliers were unable to maintain their chemistry with the loss of Justin Anderson and couldn’t get it back when he returned.
Trice led all scorers with 23 points, most of which came from the three-point line, where he went 4-for-8 for the game. Fellow senior Branden Dawson played tough inside with Virginia’s bigs, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds. Darion Atkins led the Cavaliers with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Why it’s an upset:
It’s an upset seed-wise, though anybody going against Tom Izzo can tell you his teams are usually better than their seed. With Virginia’s loss on Sunday and Villanova’s loss on Saturday, this is the first time the No. 1 and No. 2 seed from the same region have missed out on the Sweet 16 when 1-seed Kentucky and 2-seed Gonzaga both bowed out before the second weekend.
Virginia has not been the same team over the last month as it was earlier in the year. Their defensive principles were the same, but without Anderson being a consistent offensive threat, it put more pressure on Brogdon to carry the load and forced London Perrantes to look for his shot more than he’s accustomed to.
Virginia finishes the year with a 30-4 record.
Michigan State advances to its fourth straight Sweet 16 appearance.
Still dancing pic.twitter.com/tcladWM2lD
— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) March 22, 2015
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