The Michigan State Spartans (23-5, 13-3) looked to be on a mission this afternoon at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill. Illinois (23-7, 11-6) made as many runs as were possible but the Spartans kept pushing in a 74-66 victory that would clinch them at least a share of the Big Ten Championship. Indiana and Purdue remain on the Spartans’ schedule, and from the looks of that the Spartans could conceivably win the conference title outright.
Michigan State opened the game with a 7-0 run, but Illinois would come alive soon after. While the Illini never lead, they would wobble between three and seven points down. Illinois seemed to run out of gas at the end of the first half, and Michigan State senior center Goran Suton made a 15-foot jumper to take the Spartans into halftime up 37-30.
Illinois would fight back in the second half. They still couldn’t get a lead, struggling to keep the game between three and six points difference. Sophomore center Mike Tisdale, who led the way for the Illini with 15 points, went seven-of-seven from the free throw line. Suton put himself in foul trouble trying to guard him.
The lead went up and down, but a short drought by Michigan State allowed Illinois to fill up points. Up 58-53, the Illini cut their deficit completely to tie the game at 58 with 7:18 left to play.
But the Spartans kept their poise. With the score still stuck at 58 with 4:50 left to go, sophomore point guard Kalin Lucas drove the lane hard for an acrobatic layup that would put Michigan State ahead for good.
Suton would finish the game with eight points and 10 rebounds. Junior forward Raymar Morgan, back from a mono walking-pneumonia virus, got right back on track with 14 points and six boards. Lucas led the way for the Spartans with 18 points and four assists.
Illinois senior point guard Chester Frasier wasn’t much of a perimeter presence, going one-of-three from behind the arc and two-of-five from mid-range. Frasier finished with 10 points and just three assists. Sophomore forward Mike Davis came alive for the Illini, scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
With the win over the Illini, the Spartans clinched at least a share of the Big Ten Title; the worst their conference record can be is 13-5. Purdue would have to win their last two games and Michigan State would have to lose their last two to even share the title. Purdue still faces a feisty Northwestern team along with the newly crowned Spartans on their schedule.
The more likely scenario is that Michigan State will win the Big Ten Championship outright. They will do this if they beat Indiana on Tuesday night in Bloomington, Ind. The title this year makes Tom Izzo’s fifth in his 14 seasons as Michigan State Head Coach.
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