AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — When Keith Appling plays well, Michigan State usually wins. The same is true for Joe Jackson and Memphis. On Saturday, one of the junior point guards and his team will advance to the round of 16 when the third-seeded Spartans (26-8) face the sixth-seeded Tigers (31-4). ”Whenever you got two good quarterbacks, it’s pivotal,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo said Friday. ”Ours is playing better and theirs has been playing well and they’re both kind of alike. They’re both jitterbug guards, both the same size. They can really push the ball, use ball screens. … Him and Joe ought to be worth the price of admission.” The leading scorers for both teams are coming off good games. Appling had 15 points, making three 3-pointers, as Michigan State opened the NCAA tournament with a 65-54 win over Valparaiso. The 6-foot…
Continue Reading: Memphis-Michigan St. Preview (The Associated Press)
