LITTLE BIG MAN

Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Travis Trice received a text message Sunday from Golden State Warriors forward and former Michigan State player Draymond Green that read: “Don’t let this be your last game.”

The Spartans’ senior guard texted back, “It won’t.”

Trice made sure of that Sunday, scoring 23 points and helping Michigan State knock second-seeded Virginia out of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, 60-54.

The 6-foot, 175-pound Trice scored 13 of his team’s first 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including three 3-pointers, to help the Spartans build a 15-4 lead.

Branden Dawson added 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 the winner of the Oklahoma-Dayton game in Syracuse, New York on Friday.

“Our thing was attack from the get go and get a lead,” said Trice, in his first full season as a starter after three years as a reserve.

“It was his time to shine,” said Dawson, who started playing with Trice in AAU ball.

With top seed Villanova having lost Saturday, it is the first time a No. 1 and 2 seed from the same region didn’t advance to the Sweet 16 since Kentucky and Gonzaga in 2004.

The Cavaliers (30-4), the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to lose after a 9-0 start in the tournament, 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 first-round 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 percent shooting. Virginia finished 2 of 17 from 3-point range.

Izzo said the Spartans “changed what we do” defensively in a day-and-a-half.

Instead of having his guards jump to the ball and give help, Izzo relied more on his big men in the middle to stay disciplined — and not cheat or go for steals — and guard against Virginia’s flare screens.

“We’re just not as talented as we’ve been so we are always cheating to find a way to get an edge,” Izzo said. “Coaches can tell you what to do, but when muscle memory tells you to do it another way ... your focus has to be incredible. And that was incredible focus if you asked me.”

Last year, the Spartans upset the top-seeded Cavaliers in the regional semifinal by holding Virginia to 35.1 percent shooting.

While Trice was beating them up and down the court and making 3s, the Cavaliers opened the game 2 of 10 from the field and could never get on track offensively.

“They are so good defensively that any start like that is costly,” Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett said.

In other games Sunday:

Wichita State 78, Kansas 65

OMAHA, Neb.

No wonder Kansas never wants anything to do with Wichita State.

Behind another steady performance from Fred VanVleet and the hot shooting of Evan Wessel, the seventh-seeded Shockers rolled past the second-seeded Jayhawks, earning a trip to the Sweet 16 at the expense of the school that has caused them so much chagrin.

Tekele Cotton led the way with 19 points for the Shockers (30-4). VanVleet finished with 17 and Wessel hit four 3-pointers to score 12, sending the Missouri Valley champions to Cleveland for the Midwest Regional semifinal against third-seeded Notre Dame. Devonte’ Graham and Perry Ellis had 17 points each, and Frank Mason added 16 for the Jayhawks (27-9).

Duke 68, San Diego State 49

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Jahlil Okafor scored 18 of his 26 points in a dominating first half and Duke beat San Diego State, sending the top-seeded Blue Devils back to the Sweet 16.

Fellow freshman Justise Winslow added 13 points and 12 rebounds for Duke (31-4), which for the second straight tournament game ran out to a quick lead and stayed in control the rest of the way.

Duke — holding a No. 1 seed for the 11th time in 18 seasons but its first since 2011 — advanced to face fifth-seeded Utah in Houston’s South Region semifinals.

Duke shot 55 percent against the eighth-seeded Aztecs (27-9), two days after shooting 63 percent against Robert Morris.

Wisconsin 72, Oregon 65

OMAHA, Neb.

Sam Dekker scored 17 points to lead four Wisconsin players in double figures, and the No. 1-seeded Badgers are headed back to the Sweet 16.

The Badgers (33-3) beat the Ducks (26-10) in the round of 32 for the second straight year and will go to Los Angeles to play fourth-seeded North Carolina in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.

Wisconsin played with the lead all game until Dwayne Benjamin tied it at 52 with a high-arcing 3-pointer from in front of his bench with 5:27 left. The Badgers took the lead right back, though, with Dekker’s reverse layup and 3-pointer to make it 58-52. Joseph Young, who scored 27 points in a win over Oklahoma State on Friday, had 30 against the Badgers.

Gonzaga 87, Iowa 68

SEATTLE

Kyle Wiltjer scored 13 of his 24 points during Gonzaga’s flawless first half, Domantas Sabonis added 18 points and the second-seeded Bulldogs advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 2009 in a South Region matchup.

After five straight departures on the first weekend, the Bulldogs (34-2) are back in the regional semifinals, thanks to efficient offensive performance in the first 20 minutes that Iowa could never overcome.

Wiltjer made his first six shots before finally missing a 3-point attempt midway through the second half. Sabonis added eight in the first half, including a thundering left-handed dunk that was followed by a scream that had KeyArena roaring just like Gonzaga’s home gym. Jared Uthoff led Iowa (22-12) with 20 and Aaron White added 19.

Oklahoma 72, Dayton 66

COLUMBUS

Jordan Woodard had 16 points and a steal that set up Buddy Hield for a layup to give Oklahoma a lead it never relinquished as the Sooners locked down the Flyers, quieted their fans and advanced to the second weekend of the tournament.

Sooners coach Lon Kruger became the second coach to take four schools to the round of 16.

Third-seeded Oklahoma (24-10) will play Michigan State on Friday at the East Regional in Syracuse, New York.

The Flyers (27-9) came up a victory short of their second straight trip to the Sweet Sixteen as an 11th seed.

Hield scored 15 points, including a layup off a feed from Woodard at 5:56 that made it 57-56.

West Virginia 69, Maryland 59

COLUMBUS

Devin Williams had 16 points and 10 rebounds and West Virginia pounded the boards for 16 second-chance points to beat fourth-seeded Maryland. Next up: A showdown with top-ranked Kentucky in the Sweet 16.

The fifth-seeded Mountaineers (25-9) will tackle the Wildcats (36-0) at 9:45 p.m. Thursday in the Midwest regional semifinals in Cleveland.

Gary Browne had 14 and Daxter Miles Jr. 12 as West Virginia made it to the regional semis for the first time since 2010, when it went all the way to the Final Four. Melo Trimble had 15 for Maryland (28-7).

Louisville 66, Northern Iowa 53

SEATTLE

Rick Pitino and Louisville are heading to the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year.

Terry Rozier scored 25 points to lift the fourth-seeded Cards over fifth-seeded Northern Iowa.

Montrezl Harrell added 14 for Louisville (26-8), including a couple of game-sealing alley-oop jams on passes from Rozier.

The Cardinals will play eighth-seeded North Carolina State on Friday in an East Region that is now missing the top two seeds.