from Dawson (11.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg) was a surprise, considering he

New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - After toppling top-seeded Virginia on Friday, the Michigan State Spartans will face the upstart Connecticut Huskies in the East Region Final at New Yorks famed Madison Square Garden. Watch Michigan State vs. UConn live on TSN with coverage starting at 1pm et/10am pt. Led by American Athletic Player of the Year Shabazz Napier, UConn has been playing above the No. 7 seed it earned in this tournament. The Huskies knocked off third-seeded Iowa State (81-76) in the Sweet 16, following a 77-65 upset of second-seeded Villanova. They are now attempting to reach the Final Four just three years removed from their surprising run to the 2011 national title. The Sweet 16 battle between Michigan State and Virginia was as advertised, with the fourth-seeded Spartans surviving with a 61-59 victory. The win was the sixth straight for Tom Izzos club, which includes their run to the Big Ten Tournament title. The Spartans are back in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2010, which was also the last time they made it to the Final Four. The 2010 trip to the Final Four was the second straight for MSU, which actually defeated UConn (82-73) in the 2009 semifinals before falling to North Carolina in the national title tilt. These teams have met twice since, with UConn winning both times to pull ahead in the all-time series, 3-2. The winner this time will take on No. 1 overall seed Florida in the Final Four next Saturday. UConn dominated in the first half and then held on in the second to pull off the upset of Iowa State. The Huskies led by as many as 17 points and shot 52 percent for the game, while holding scoring edges from both 3-point range (27-18) and the free-throw line (20-6). DeAndre Daniels (13 ppg, 5.8 rpg) came up big in the win, controlling the paint with a team-high 27 points to go with 10 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Daniels is clearly the most productive performer in close to the basket for the Huskies, who rely more on their talented backcourt. At the forefront of that game plan is Napier. The 6-foot-1 guard, who was a freshman on the 2011 national title squad, leads this years team in scoring (17.9 ppg), assists (4.9 apg), rebounding (5.9 rpg) and steals (1.8 spg). Ryan Boatright (12.1 ppg, 3.4 apg) and Niels Giffey (8.4 ppg, .514 3P percentage) provide depth and offensive punch out on the perimeter. After trading leads during the first 38 minutes of action on Friday, Michigan State was tied with Virginia at 51-51 with 1:49 to play. The Spartans then got a 3-pointer from Adreian Payne and a dunk from Branden Dawson to take control of the game, as they held on by hitting 5-of-7 free-throws in the final minute. Dawson compiled 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Payne had 16 points in the win over Virginia, as the frontcourt tandem powered Michigan State not just in that key stretch, but the entire game. The rest of the team managed only 23 points on 7-of-19 shooting. Leading the charge offensively is not a rare occurrence for Payne (16.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg), who is second on the roster in scoring, but getting such a productive effort from Dawson (11.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg) was a surprise, considering he is more of a complementary scorer. To defeat the Huskies, the Spartans will need better play from their key backcourt contributors -- Gary Harris (16.6 ppg) and Keith Appling (11.4 ppg, 4.5 apg), who combined for a mere eight points against Virginia. Patric Hornqvist Penguins Jersey . - Aaron Rodgers makes tough throws that can leave fans of the Green Bay Packers speechless. Matt Murray Penguins Jersey . -- Creighton apparently has Villanovas number. http://www.penguinsauthenticofficial.com/paul-coffey-jersey/. Chelsea ripped apart Hull inside 25 minutes at Stamford Bridge, with the early goals from Oscar and Frank Lampard securing a 2-0 victory. While Lampard had earlier missed a penalty, Roberto Soldado had no such trouble from the spot for Tottenham, scoring on his debut to clinch a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace. Evgeni Malkin Penguins Jersey . -- Each time the Utah Jazz threatened Memphis lead, the Grizzlies responded with defensive stops. Michel Briere Jersey . -- Arizona came out of its last meeting with California a bit discombobulated, hurting from its first loss and the loss of forward Brandon Ashley for the rest of the season.Winless since the start of June, the task doesnt get any easier for Torontos Mark Buehrle on tonight with the veteran scheduled to go up against a longtime adversary. Buehrle looks to beat the New York Yankees for only the second time in his career as the Blue Jays begin a three-game series in the Bronx. The 35-year-old Buehrle appeared on his way to a career season nearly two months ago, improving to 10-1 with a victory over Kansas City on June 1. His earned run average at the time stood at 2.10. However, Buehrle has gone 0-5 with a 4.06 ERA in eight starts since, losing once to the Yankees in two starts over that time. His setback in New York on June 18 was his eighth consecutive losing decision to the Yankees and he is just 1-11 against them lifetime with a 5.81 ERA. The left-hander escaped with a no-decision versus Texas last time out on Sunday, giving up five runs on eight hits and three walks over six innings. He is 10-6 on the year with a 2.86 ERA. Both the Blue Jays and Yankees are putting heat on Baltimore in the race for first place in the American League East. Toronto and New York both find themselves three games back of the front-running Orioles thanks to some recent surges. The Blue Jays saw starter Marcus Stroman carry a no-hitter into the seventh inning of Thursdays 8-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Stroman ended up allowing one hit over seven scoreless frames, while Juan Francisco ended a double shy of the cycle, hitting a two-run homer and ddriving in four.dddddddddddd But the true spotlight was on Stroman, who walked two and struck out seven to help Toronto go 5-2 on a seven-game homestand. "He pitched a hell of a game today," said Toronto catcher Dioner Navarro, whose club now begins a 10-game road trip. The Yankees, meanwhile, have lost just once in seven games since the All-Star break and took the final three of a four-game set with Texas by winning Thursdays finale 4-2. Brandon McCarthy pitched six strong innings for his second straight win, striking out five and giving up one run on four hits and two walks. The Yankees have won all three of his starts since acquiring the right-hander from the Diamondbacks on July 6 for Vidal Nuno. "They put up some long at-bats against him," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "But he just kept at it, kept throwing strikes. ... He just found a way to get through it." The Yankees next turn to 39-year-old Hiroki Kuroda, who is 6-6 with a 3.88 ERA on the year. Kuroda did not factor into a 3-2 win over Cincinnati on Sunday, charged with one unearned run over 6 2/3 innings. The righty worked around three hits and two walks, striking out six. Kuroda is 5-3 with a 3.86 ERA in his career versus Toronto, including a recent road win on June 25. He gave up three runs over 6 1/3 frames of work. The Yankees have won six of nine versus the Blue Jays this season, including a three-game sweep at home from June 17-19. ' ' '