The first game of the second round matchups in the NCAA Tournament began Thursday afternoon at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, MI. No. 3 Michigan State defeated No. 14 Valparaiso, 65-54.
Derrick Nix led for the Spartans with 23 points in the tournament matchup, shooting 10-of-17 and going 3-for-5 from the line. Nix also had 15 rebounds. Keith Appling had 15 points of his own, shooting 6-of-12 from the paint while going 3-for-5 from long distance.
Michigan State shot for 44.3% in Thursday’s game. Valpo shot for 35.2%.
Ben Boggs scored 15 points off the bench for Valpo, while Erik Buggs had 14 and Matt Kenney with 10.
With the win, Michigan State will go on to play Memphis in round two Saturday afternoon. Memphis defeated St. Mary’s 54-52 Thursday.
