Looking to make the Sweet 16 for the 10th time under head coach Tom Izzo, the No. 1 seed Michigan State Spartans hold a 26-21 halftime lead over the No. 9 Saint Louis Billikens in Columbus.
Saint Louis shot a woeful 26-percent in the first ...
But the Billikens were able to go on a little run after starting 0-for-7 and finding a little bit of a rhythm to take a brief 15-11 lead, but Michigan State answered with an 11-0 run, which included this oomph:
Saint Louis' strong defense is keeping the Billikens in it, though. MSU is shooting a solid 48-percent, but they have nine turnovers. Saint Louis has kept opponents to a remarkable 54 points per game this season and are on pace to better that today. If they can hit a better percentage of their shots in the second half, they might be able to pull off the upset.
You can find more about the Michigan State Spartans at The Only Colors. For more coverage of the 2012 NCAA tournament, visit SB Nation Cleveland's StoryStream. Also, make sure to check out SB Nation's NCAA tournament hub and our printable NCAA tournament bracket.