Michigan State 70, Georgia 63: Denzel Valentine recorded 16 points, six assists and six rebounds to fuel the Spartans past the Bulldogs in NCAA Tournament round of 64 action from Charlotte, N.C.

Travis Trice supplied 15 points for seventh-seeded Michigan State (24-11), which overcame a late scare in advancing to face No. 2 seed Virginia on Sunday. Branden Dawson scored 14 points with six rebounds, and Bryn Forbes chipped in 14 points off the bench for the Spartans.

Charles Mann led the way with 19 points as 10th-seeded Georgia (21-12) scuffled to 33.3 percent shooting, including 4-of-14 from 3-point range. The Bulldogs trailed by 12 with less than two minutes left before getting within 66-63 on Kenny Gaines' three-point play with 20.9 seconds to go, although Valentine went 6-of-6 from the foul line in the final 30 seconds to help wrap it up.

The Bulldogs quickly erased most of their 13-point halftime deficit with a 15-4 run to open the second half, but the Spartans countered with a 13-4 surge in which Dawson scored eight points, including a pair of three-point plays. Forbes added a four-point play shortly thereafter to push the lead to 13 before Georgia made things interesting behind Mann and Gaines, who finished with 15 points.

Michigan State led 35-22 following a first half in which Georgia shot 28 percent and committed 10 turnovers. The Spartans trailed by as many as six before an 8-0 half-ending run that featured 3-pointers from Valentine and Trice made it 35-22.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Michigan State is making its 18th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and has won its first NCAA Tourney game in eight of the last nine seasons. ... Georgia shot 21-of-26 from the foul line, while Michigan State was 11-of-19. ... Nemanja Djurisic grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who held a 43-35 advantage on the glass.