BREAKING: Michigan State Clinches Big Ten Title
With No. 17 Michigan's 71-65 loss to No. 13 Maryland on Wednesday, No. 8 Michigan has secured at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title.
It's the Spartans' first conference title since 2020, which it shared with Maryland and Wisconsin.
Some fans might have liked a dramatic finish, with the Spartans earning it with a season-finale victory over the Wolverines on Sunday when they face off at the Breslin Center on Senior Day, or for Michigan State to get its hands dirty and clinch it with a win over Iowa on Thursday.
Nonetheless, the Spartans didn't even have to be on the court when it happened, and fans got to watch as their bitter rival dropped its second-straight game to put itself out of contention for sole possession of the Big Ten title before it even heads to East Lansing.
With the clinching, Michigan State earns its 11th conference title under Tom Izzo, which ties him with Bob Knight and Ward Lambert for the most all-time.
The Spartans will have an opportunity to win the conference outright with a win over the Hawkeyes on Thursday.
Izzo, of course, wasn't focused on a Michigan loss.
"I want to put ourselves in a position where the goal is to the win the games," Izzo said while addressing the media on Tuesday," and we think we need to win the games just to win the league, we think we need to win the games to better or chances in seeds, we think we need to win to better ourselves getting better, especially offensively.
"So, I said once we beat Maryland, we needed no help from anybody. If we get some, great, but we didn't need any help from anybody. I almost like that mentality: take care of your own business, don't hope somebody loses. Do enough that you win.
"And that's the positon we're in. So, I really didn't talk to them about that. I don't think it's added pressure. It's not like, 'Well, if you lose, you got a chance to redeem yourself.' I just said, 'Hey, we got to play, we got to get better. We know we're going to have our hands full.'"
Thursday's game is set for 8 p.m. and will be televised on FSI.
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