If everything Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said before the game between the Spartans and Ohio State Buckeyes last night in Columbus is true, then MSU is clearly the best team in the Big Ten Conference.
Or at least, they were last night.
Izzo told reporters before yesterday's game that he clearly thought Ohio State was the most-talented team in the Big Ten and with their stunning 58-48 upset win over the Buckeyes on Saturday night, Izzo's Spartans tied with OSU for the top spot in the conference that many have called the most entertaining group of teams this season (a certain recent match up between UNC and Duke not withstanding).
It was all Michigan State throughout the game as they took the lead over the Buckeyes midway through the first half and never gave it back. Both teams struggled on offense after the midway point of the battle, but the Spartans found the true hero of their victory not in leading scorer or usual star Draymond Green (who still had a good game in his own right), but rather in Adreian Payne, who not only defied gravity with some of his spectacular two-pointers, but was all over the Ohio State offense throughout the night.
Payne, the sophomore center who scored a career-high 15 points, not only helped keep a struggling Michigan State offense rolling in the game, but also was pivotal in shutting down the befuddled leader of the Buckeyes in Jared Sullinger, who missed 10 of his 15 shots. Sullinger, a national player-of-the-year hopeful, looked confused and out-of-place for much of the night and committed 10 turnovers that left him shaking his head time and time again.
"I've got a lot of things we are decent at. I've got one thing we are great at," Izzo said of his team's ability in the areas of leadership and chemistry. "And that probably helped us win this game today."
As for Payne, who had lost his Ohio-native grandmother who helped to raise him last year, Izzo didn't lose sight of his tremendous effort in the team win.
"I was proud of Adreian," Izzo said. "He's been through a lot with his grandma and everything. He really did a (heck of a) job."
The loss ends a 39-game home winning streak for Ohio State that dated back nearly two years to February of 2010. According to Izzo, preparation for the game the day before was the winning difference in Saturday's contest, as he saw his players take an elevated mindset to their mental view of the game.
"This stat isn't on here, (but) where the game was won was in (Friday's) practice -- because I did something I never do: I almost walked through," Izzo said, "and that was odd for me. I listened to my players. And Draymond Green took care of the hotel, the airplane and the (actual) walk-through (Saturday) morning was the best I've had since Louisville in Indianapolis. It was just focused."
With their impressive and dominating victory, Michigan State is now tied for the first place spot in the Big Ten Conference with Ohio State. Both teams have some critical and tough match ups in the remaining games of the regular season, but none more important that the season finale when the Buckeyes travel to East Lansing on March 4th to try to take a little of the pride that they lost back from the boys in green and white.
The race for the Big Ten Title is the closest it's been all season and with many of the teams near the top elevating their game in an effort to prepare for March Madness, there's still time for the Buckeyes to bounce back. The question now is: Can Michigan State keep this momentum through the rest of the regular season or even the NCAA Tournament? Or will it end up being nothing more than a flash in the pan?
You can follow MSU Examiner, Michael Ferro, at twitter.com/MichaelFerro.
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