Michigan State Defeats No. 4 OSU, Celebrates Back-to-Back Top-5 Victories
EAST LANSING – Michigan State basketball flipped a switch midway through the first half against Indiana and hasn't stopped since.
The Spartans pushed the ball offensively, emphasized getting out in transition, rebounding, and finishing in the paint. They succeeded on all fronts.
Ohio State entered tonight's game coming off a close loss to No. 3 Michigan, but MSU continued to compete with one goal in mind – win.
Michigan State made five of its first seven shots and held a two-point lead early on as the Spartans newfound lineup remained productive.
Mady Sissoko was the first big man off the bench for MSU but quickly picked up two fouls and immediately sat down. From there, the fouls began piling up – Aaron Henry, Joshua Langford, and Julius Marble finished the first half with two apiece.
Langford exited the game with 9:18 left; Henry did the same at the 6:45 mark. All of a sudden, the Spartans were stuck and desperately needed one of them to return.
Yet, Tom Izzo would do no such thing.
Outside of Gabe Brown, Michigan State didn't have much offensive production; Rocket Watts finished the first half 0-for-6 while the Spartans turned it over nine times.
Despite no field goals in the final 3:06, MSU trailed by just five points and, for the most part, weathered the storm defensively.
Watts came out firing on all cylinders to start the second half, hitting his first two shots of the contest.
Shortly after, OSU head coach Chris Holtmann was rung up for a technical following a no-call when Thomas Kithier was on E.J. Liddell.
Michigan State tied the game at 40-points, but Ohio State started taking control, going on a 9-0 run and intent on pulling away.
The Spartan offense began stumbling. MSU missed its previous five shots during that span and made one of its last 14 attempts since 3:06 of the first half.
Henry ended the drought with a significant bucket, but Langford, his running mate, struggled (0-for-5), which spelled trouble for the Spartans.
Michigan State needed an answer, and quickly, because C.J. Walker was hot with 10 points (4-of-5), two rebounds, and three assists. Plus, Duane Washington Jr. kept attacking and performing.
Even so, the Spartans wouldn't go away, somehow only trailing by three-points (53-50) with less than eight minutes left.
MSU's fight is a tribute to their mental and physical toughness.
Regardless of the outcome, Michigan State found its identity late in the year, and it's what fans expect to see.
Izzo led teams don't quiver in fear when presented with adversity; it's best guys step up and lead.
So it made sense that MSU stared down the barrel of an incredibly important final three minutes.
Their whole season was on the line.
MSU made four consecutive free throws courtesy of Henry and Malik Hall, giving Michigan State its first lead since the break.
The Indiana native followed it up with the biggest shot all night, a jumper from the charity stripe before Langford converted one to go along with it, but his foul on the other end gave OSU two easy ones from the line.
However, Washington Jr's last second attempt missed, sending Langford to shoot two where he ended the contest.
In three days, Michigan State did the impossible, defeating two teams in the top-5 and firmly planted themselves back on the bubble.
Now, extending the historic NCAA Tournament streak is well within reach.
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