Buckeyes stumble vs. Spartans

Ohio State’s four-game winning streak snapped

EAST LANSING, MICH. » Cassius Winston kissed Michigan State’s logo in the middle of its basketball court, following the school’s quarter-century long tradition toward the end of his last game at the Breslin Center.

The senior scored 27 points to help the 16th-ranked Spartans beat No. 19 Ohio State, 80-69, on March 8 to win a third straight Big Ten championship.

“It means the world to have my whole family come and see me in my last home game and to go out like that,” he said. “It’s an amazing feeling.”

Winston was able to celebrate the end of the regular season, nearly four months after the death of his brother.

“I could not have done what he did,” coach Tom Izzo said.

Michigan State (22-9, 14-6 Big Ten) shared the conference title with No. 9 Maryland and No. 24 Wisconsin. The Spartans will be the second-seeded team at the Big Ten Tournament behind the Badgers, with the Terrapins seeded third.

The Buckeyes (21-10, 11-9) had won four straight and six of their previous seven games.

“Wesson is a load down low. We put a lot into trying to stop him. We didn’t stop him, but we semineutralized him.” – Michigan State coach Tom Izzo

But they let Michigan State make 54% of its shots in the second half to pull away.

“We just couldn’t get enough stops when we needed to,” coach Chris Holtmann said.

Ohio State’s leading scorer, Kaleb Wesson, was held to eight points on 1-of-8 shooting after entering the day averaging 14plus points per game.

“Wesson is a load down low,” Izzo said. “We put a lot into trying to stop him. We didn’t stop him, but we semi-neutralized him.”

Duane Washington had 16 points, CJ Walker scored 14, E.J. Liddell had 12 and Luther Muhammad added 10 points for the Buckeyes.

Michigan State was in control of much of the evening and pulled away with a 16-4 run late in the game.

Rocket Watts scored 19 points, Xavier Tillman had 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals while Aaron Henry added 12 points for the Spartans.

“They had toughness and they hit the floor first,” Walker said.

Tied at the top

The Badgers clinched a share of the Big Ten title with a victory March 7 at Indiana and will be the topseeded team in Indianapolis. The Terrapins beat No. 25 Michigan earlier March 8 to also earn a share of the championship.

Big picture

OHIO STATE » The Buckeyes should get a boost in the postseason with the expected return of Kyle Young, who missed his fourth straight game with a high ankle sprain. The junior forward, who has a protective boot on his right foot, averages seven-plus points and nearly six rebounds per game.

“We’ve won games with a short bench,” Holtmann said.

MICHIGAN STATE » The Spartans are playing their best late in the season as they usually have done in Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo’s 25 seasons. They started the season ranked No. 1 for the first time in school history and seem to have some momentum going into the postseason.

Poll implications

The surging Spartans will likely move up in the poll on March 9 with their fifth straight win and the Buckeyes will probably hold onto a spot toward the bottom of the AP Top 25.

Up next

OHIO STATE » Goes to the conference tournament, trying to improve its seeding for the NCAA Tournament.

AL GOLDIS — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Ohio State’s E.J. Liddell, right, maneuvers against Michigan State’s Xavier Tillman, center, as Ohio State’s Kaleb Wesson watches during the first half March 8in East Lansing, Mich.