Michigan State battles Georgia in NCAA Tournament Round of 64

Georgia (21-11) vs. Michigan State (23-11)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Michigan State's 2015 NCAA Tournament run begins Friday afternoon as the Spartans meet the Georgia bulldogs in Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Michigan State is coming off a difficult overtime loss in the Big Ten Championship Game Sunday in which it held an 11-point lead late in the 2nd half but got shut out in overtime. Tom Izzo's team will look to bounce back against a Georgia team that finished tied for 3rd in a mediocre SEC this season.

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Other than two losses to Kentucky and one to Gonzaga, Georgia had little experience against NCAA Tournament teams during the regular season. The Bulldogs went 2-6 in eight tournament games with a couple of close wins over Mississippi.

Meanwhile, Michigan State played each of its final six games against teams that made the Big Dance, and won seven of 15 games against NCAA opponents throughout the season.

Izzo will turn to his seniors to set the pace against Georgia, as Travis Trice and Branden Dawson look to extend their MSU careers. Trice averaged 14.8 points and 5.2 assists per game this season and scored at least 18 points in four of his last five games.

Dawson, who battled injuries late in the year, enters the tournament averaging 12 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.

Georgia is led by senior forward Marcus Thornton, who puts up 12.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs.

Yante Maten will play his first game against the Spartans after being recruited by Izzo last offseason. The Bloomfield Hills native averaged 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds while playing 18.4 minutes per game as a freshman.

Michigan State and Georgia played just one common opponent this season, both losing to Minnesota in close battles.

The game is scheduled to tip off at 12:40 p.m. on truTV.

If MSU beats Georgia, it will advance to play the winner of No. 2 Villanova and No. 15 Belmont (3:10 p.m.).

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