No. 1 Indiana beat Michigan State on Tuesday night (Feb. 19). The No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers had to take on the No. 4 Michigan State Spartans in a tough Big Ten conference game and an upset was almost on the menu. The 72-68 win for the Hoosiers could garner them even more votes in the college basketball rankings when they come out again on Monday (Feb. 25).
It was definitely a good game for both teams, with the latter portion of the second half becoming a back-and-forth battle between two teams that will receive high seeds in the 2013 NCAA tournament. Indiana had actually posted a 36-30 lead at halftime, but Michigan State came out strong in the second half, taking a lead when it counted the most.
With 4:16 left in the game, Cody Zeller made a layup to give the Hoosiers a 63-62 lead. Consecutive layups by Derrick Nix of MSU, one off a steal and one off an offensive rebound, pushed the Spartans to a 63-66 lead. Gary Harris would then hit a free throw to give the team a four point cushion with just 1:25 left in the game.
That lead didn't hold up either, as Christian Watford completed a three-point play and Victor Oladipo tipped one in to give Indiana a 68-67 lead. Oladipo would add a dunk with just 10 seconds to go to give Indiana a 70-67 lead. At that point, Michigan State had a chance to tie the game up, as Harris was fouled on a three-point shot. He would only hit on 1-of-3 shots, though, dooming the Spartans.
Leading the way for the Spartans was Gary Harris with 19 points and Adreian Payne with 17 points of his own. They were the only two players to score in double-figures for the team. For Indiana, Victor Oladipo had 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 steals. Cody Zeller chipped in 17 points and 5 rebounds as well.
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