Virginia vs. Michigan State: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

Michigan State held off Virginia in a defensive battle, 60-54, on Sunday to reach the Sweet 16 of the 2015 NCAA tournament. It's the fourth straight season the program has advanced at least that far in the Big Dance.    

CBS Sports passed along the result:

ESPN Stats & Info added some postgame insight:

Brent Yarina of the Big Ten Network provided Tom Izzo's reaction:

Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch shared this comment from Virginia's Justin Anderson after the game, while Norm Wood of the Daily Press added another observation:

The Cavaliers entered the game as the top remaining seed in the East Region after NC State's upset of No. 1 Villanova on Saturday night. They had a close call of their own in the second round, pulling away late after Belmont pushed them to the limit.   

Following that game, Virginia head coach Tony Bennett admitted it wasn't the team's best performance. He also pointed out they are used to close games—their slow, defensive playing style lends itself to them—and highlighted the toughness they show in key moments, as Mike Griffith of MLive.com noted.

"We've been in those situations a whole lot, and we do have experience,'' Bennett said. "Our guys have been in those spots in a lot of games. We weren't perfect, we weren't pretty, but we had enough grit to come away with a tough one.''

They weren't as fortunate against the Spartans on Sunday.

Michigan State, which also played a tight tournament opener against Georgia, came out flying. An early 10-0 run was sparked entirely by Travis Trice. The senior guard knocked down a pair of threes to go along with a layup and a dunk.

After the game, Matt Charboneau of The Detroit News and Chip Patterson of CBS Sports offered some interesting insight regarding Trice:

Damon Dillman of Newsplex spotlighted Trice's early success:

The Spartans had some opportunities to stretch the lead out even further, but couldn't capitalize. That allowed Virginia to fight back.

Darion Atkins came up with a highlight-reel block as Alvin Ellis III soared down the lane looking for a monster dunk. Then, on the other end of the floor, Cavaliers guard Marial Shayok hit a three-pointer to get them back on track.

Eamonn Brennan of ESPN pointed out the dunk attempt wasn't the best of decisions:

That sequence seemed to go a long way toward helping Virginia settle in. The pace of the game slowed down, its defense improved and it was able to chip away at the lead.

By halftime, the Cavs had cut a Michigan State edge that was once 11 to a more manageable five-point deficit.

The low-scoring pace surprised Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press:

NBC 29 illustrated why, with the No. 2 seed shooting below 30 percent from the field:

Virginia came out of the break with a quick 4-1 burst to get back within two.

Michigan State responded in a major way, putting together an 8-0 run to stretch the lead back out. Branden Dawson put an exclamation point on it, running the middle of the floor, taking the pass at full speed and finishing with a ferocious dunk. He was also fouled on the play.

March Madness TV provided the commentary from Bill Raftery:

Seth Davis of CBS Sports applauded Dawson's level of effort:

The theme remained much the same for the rest of the second half. The Spartans would add to their lead and the Cavs would reel them back in. Virginia just had no luck sustaining its runs long enough to complete the comeback bid.

Michigan State was able to convert from the free-throw line in the final minutes to close out the victory. It wasn't the most entertaining game of the tournament, but that couldn't matter less this time of year.

Trice led the charge for the Spartans with 23 points. Dawson added 15 points and nine rebounds. Anthony Gill had 11 for the losing side.

Virginia came into the tournament as one of the favorites to reach the Final Four. Now, those title dreams are gone as the Cavaliers' campaign comes to a close with a 30-4 record. The roster only featured one impact senior (Atkins), however, which paints a positive picture for next season.          

Michigan State moves on to face the winner of the clash between Oklahoma and Dayton, which comes later on Sunday. Izzo once again deserves a lot of credit for getting his players to perform at their best during March Madness.        

Given the suddenly wide-open nature of the East Region, the Spartans have certainly emerged as a legitimate Final Four threat.