The second round of the NCAA March Madness tournament will be taking place on Thursday afternoon and will include the No. 14 Valparaiso Crusaders facing off against No. 3 Michigan State Spartans.

Playing in the Big Ten conference, the Spartans didn't have to look very far to find to find the toughest of competition. When Michigan State makes its 16th straight appearance in the tournament, they won't have to travel too far either, as they'll be competing at The Palace of Auburn Hills against the Crusaders.

The Spartans compiled 25 victories and advanced into the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament prior to being bounced by the champion Ohio State on Saturday.

Michigan State's Derrick Nix will surely be bringing his A-game on the court, as the senior is faced with the possibility of competing in his last college basketball game.

Nix had tied his Big Ten career scoring high by putting up 17 points and nine boards against Ohio State. With the senior forward standing in at 6-9, 270 pounds, sharpshooters Keith Appling and freshman Gary Harris will have the flexibility to exploit the perimeter against Valparaiso.

Interesting to note, the last time the Spartans entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed was in 1995. During that year, they ended up faltering to upstart Weber State in the first round.

For those of you who meet the cable requirements, the Michigan State versus Valparaiso can be viewed online via free live stream by CLICKING HERE.

Coverage of the NCAA basketball game is set to begin at 12:15 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 21.

Tags
NCAA Basketball, March madness