Michigan State loses to Michigan for second time, 75-64, in Big Ten tourney semifinals
NEW YORK – Michigan State is heading home. And it may be heading out for the NCAA tournament.
The top-seeded Spartans struggled to shoot in the second half and allowed No. 5 seed Michigan to hit almost everything in their sights Saturday as the Wolverines advanced to the Big Ten tournament title game at Madison Square Garden with a 75-64 victory.
The loss ends MSU’s 13-game win streak, which began after it lost to No. 13 Michigan on Jan. 13.
More importantly, it could have big implications for the regular-season Big Ten champion going into the NCAA tournament.
The Spartans (29-4) likely are out of play for a No. 1 seed and potentially for a spot in Detroit. They will have to wait another week to learn their NCAA fate.
Miles Bridges finished with 17 points on 7 of 18 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Cassius Winston had 11 points and five assists.
However, Winston, Jackson and Joshua Langford combined to hit 9 of 31 shots as the Spartans went 38.1 percent from the field and made just 7 of 25 3-point tries.
MSU also allowed Michigan to make 12 of 18 shots in the second half, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Five Wolverines scored in double figures.
It was just the second time the two teams played in the Big Ten tournament. The last was an MSU victory inthe 2014 final.
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Early tempers
With both schools well-represented in the crowd, the energy and angst quickly spilled over onto the court.
Tempers flared when Michigan’s Mo Wagner fouled MSU’s Nick Ward hard just under 4 minutes into the game. Both teams’ fans started chanting during the back-and-forth yapping between the players.
At that point, the Wolverines were up 13-4 on the Spartans and had made 5 of 8 shots. Just 30 seconds after Ward hit two free throws, he picked up a technical for jawing with Michigan’s Zavier Simpson after a foul on Jaren Jackson Jr.
That woke up MSU.
Settling in
The Spartans went on a 10-0 run after Ward’s technical, with Bridges hitting a deep 3-pointer, then Winston scoring five straight on a layup and three free throws. The sophomore point guard lobbed an alley-oop over Wagner to Gavin Schilling for a dunk to give MSU its first lead at 16-14.
The two teams went back and forth from there, trading the lead three times and tying it up four other times.
But MSU held the Wolverines to just 4-for-21 shooting over the final 15:36, including eight straight missed 3-pointers over the final 7:36. Jackson had a put-back dunk, and Bridges hit a 3-pointer to put the Spartans ahead again late in the half.
Xavier Tillman provided the first-half exclamation point. The MSU freshman flew past Wagner on a 3-point attempt but recovered to stick his hand in the Michigan junior’s face in time to force another miss. Then Tillman ran the court in transition and got a breakaway dunk off a threaded pass from Winston to put the Spartans ahead 29-26 at halftime.
Wagner was 0-for-7 shooting, missing all five of his 3-point attempts. The Spartans held the Wolverines to 1-for-15 from beyond the arc after they made their first three attempts in the first 3:14 of the game.
Second down
But Michigan got hot again in the second half. Fast.
Wagner scored seven points as the Wolverines reclaimed the lead with a 10-2 run. A 3-pointer by Abdur-Rahkman with 11:49 to play made it 42-37 Michigan.
MSU’s shooting struggles helped that along. The Spartans made just 3 of 13 shots in the early part of the second half.
But Bridges started to attack after spending much of the first half and early portion of the second shooting jumpers. He drove and got fouled on one play, then another layup and a 3-pointer to pull MSU within 50-47.
But the Wolverines went on a 17-7 run over the next 4:40 to take command for good.
What’s next
With the loss, MSU will return to East Lansing for a long break, thanks to the Big Ten tournament being moved up a week. The Spartans will learn their fate March 11 when the NCAA tournament selection show airs on CBS.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari