Michigan State wins 64-56, top seed still possible
INDIANAPOLIS -- Michigan State won't get any style points for this one.
Chris Allen led three Spartans in double figures, and No. 7 Michigan State kept its hopes for a No. 1 seed alive with a 64-56 victory over scrappy Minnesota on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament. It was Michigan State's sixth straight win, and ninth in its last 10 games.
But if the Spartans (26-5) were trying to impress the NCAA selection committee, well, there's always that game Saturday against the Ohio State-Wisconsin winner. The Spartans shot less than 48 percent and had 16 turnovers, and they were threatening to end with one of their lowest point totals of the season until Minnesota was forced to foul down the stretch.
Allen finished with 17 points, Big Ten player of the year Kalin Lucas had 12 and Marquise Gray added 11.
Damian Johnson had 19 and Devron Bostick added 12 for Minnesota, which now has to wait to see if its 22-10 record will be good enough for a spot in the NCAA tournament.
The Gophers at least made things interesting at the end. After Suton made a pair of free throws to give Michigan State a 58-46 lead with 2:41 to play, Colton Iverson scored on a layup and Paul Carter converted a three-point play. Johnson scooped up a Lucas turnover and scored on a layup to pull Minnesota within 58-53 with 1:23 to play. But the Spartans went 6-of-8 from the free throw line in the last minute.
With former No. 1s Pittsburgh and Connecticut losing Thursday and higher-ranked Oklahoma going down, too, Michigan State still has an outside shot at one of the four top seeds in the NCAA tournament. But the Spartans probably need to add the Big Ten tournament title to its regular-season crown.
If the committee is looking for fast-paced, entertaining basketball, the Spartans are in trouble.
The Big Ten is often criticized for hard-nosed, physical basketball -- some call it boring -- and this was it at its finest. Both teams left with plenty of floor burns, and it seemed as if there was a whistle on every other possession. Though Michigan State won the regular season title easily, it couldn't get past Minnesota's swarming defense early in the game.
Not until early in the second half did Michigan State start playing like the conference's best team. Raymar Morgan opened with an alley-oop, and Suton, who was limited in the first half because of foul trouble, made back-to-back buckets inside.
Sprinting upcourt on the next possession, Travis Walton whipped the ball to Durrell Summers, who was already positioned near the basket. Leaping high, Summers snagged the ball and stuffed it one-handed, bringing the Spartans bench and their fans to their feet.
Bostick's jumper and a steal and dunk by Johnson pulled Minnesota within 46-40 with 10:25 to play. But the Gophers would go almost six minutes before making another field goal, allowing the Spartans to push their lead to double digits with a 3 from Suton and a pair of free throws by Lucas.
Johnson finally scored, making a 3 that pulled Minnesota within 54-46 with 4:47 left. But Michigan State shut the Gophers down again, keeping them scoreless until Iverson's layup.