The Michigan State Spartans defeated Valparaiso Crusaders 65-54 in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. In a game that began in a very sloppy manner, Derrick Nix flexed his muscles posting a double double and leading the Spartans to victory and the third round of action.
Nix finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds add two steals and an assists to an excellent stat sheet. Though only three Spartans were in double figures, they were able to get past a Valparaiso team that shot poorly from the floor despite having one of the better field goal percentages in the league.
Ben Boggs and Erick Buggs of the Crusaders shot well from the floor combining for 11-17 shooting and 29 points. However, the rest of the team struggled heavily as Kevin Van Wilk and Will Bogan combined for a 0-9 performance from the floor for just two points, which game off free throws.
Their bench didn't do much better as they only contributed 13 points on 4-20 shooting. As a team, they shot 35.2 percent from the floor going 7-25 from beyond the arc. Their defense was pretty solid forcing 18 turnovers, 12 of which came by steals, but they couldn't sink any shots.
They Spartans were efficient from beyond the arc knocking down 6-15 three pointers taken and grabbing 44 rebounds in the game.
In the beginning stages of this game, it seemed like no team wanted to take a lead. Then, with the score 8-8, The Spartans went on a 10-2 run to open up a lead and never looked back. Whenever Valparaiso made a run, Michigan State answered right back.
Now, Michigan State will await a winner between the Memphis Tigers or Saint Mary's Gael who face off Thursday at 2:45 p.m. ET. Click here for the live stream of that game as you can keep up with the Spartan's future opponents.
