Ann Arbor - There hadn't been so much excitement for an MSU-Michigan basketball game in nearly five years.

The Spartan men's basketball team had won the last eight meetings, but were on the ropes, entering the game with a 1-7 record outside the confines of Breslin Center.

And the Wolverines were ready to take advantage. Coming off a 12-game unbeaten streak, U-M pulled out a 60-58 thriller over the Spartans in front of a rough and rowdy Crisler Arena crowd.

"This is a day - and I know me saying this is going to make everyone happy - we're even," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said of the two teams. "I was proud of my team for the way they came down here and played as well as they did in this environment."

The loss snapped a streak the Spartans (10-8 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) had been building since Jan. 10, 1998. The win keeps U-M (13-6, 6-0) undefeated in conference play.

"What a Big Ten basketball game," U-M head coach Tommy Amaker said. "I can't tell you how proud I am of our kids - how they fought against an extremely good basketball team. This is a win we needed."

It seemed as though the Spartans had the victory sealed when sophomore guard Chris Hill drove to the lane, giving the Spartans a 52-47 lead, their biggest of the afternoon, with 6:24 left in the game.

But that would be the last time MSU would score for nearly six minutes.

In the meantime, the Wolverines went on an 11-0 run, highlighted by nine points from freshman guard Daniel Horton. That streak turned the five-point Spartan lead into a 58-52 deficit.

With 11 seconds to play, Hill heaved up a triple, trying to draw a foul. No foul was called, but Hill found nothing but net on the shot.

"They made some plays down the stretch and we just didn't make the plays," Hill said. "We slipped up a bit and could never recover."

A quick Spartan foul sent forward LaVell Blanchard to the line. The senior, who had never beaten the Spartans in his U-M career, scored his only points with two free throws - which proved to be the winning margin.

"Even though LaVell didn't score a field goal, his two free throws were some of the biggest points we scored," Amaker said. "If you had told me he wouldn't have a field goal and only two points before the game, I don't think we would have won."

Coming off the bench for the second straight game, Hill led the Spartans with 20 points. Sophomore guard Alan Anderson added 13 while freshman forward Erazem Lorbek and sophomore guard Kelvin Torbert had seven points apiece.

But MSU might have thrown away its chances at the foul line. It was bad enough the Spartans only took 11 shots from the line all afternoon, but worse was that they only made five, a poor 45.4 percent.

"Again, the free-throw line has been our nemesis all season and it was again," Izzo said. "Those free throws we missed down the stretch were killer."

But the loss did signal a return for the MSU-Michigan rivalry in basketball. Sunday's game was the only time the two teams play during the regular season.

And Izzo wasn't shy with his response when asked if future intrastate games would mirror this one.

"Michigan-Michigan State games should be like that every single year," he said.