Columbus - Ridiculous. That's what MSU head coach Tom Izzo called his team's shooting performance Saturday afternoon.

The Spartans shot 73.3 percent from the field to defeat Ohio State, 84-70, at Value City Arena.

MSU (12-8 overall, 7-2 Big Ten) made 12 of its first 13 shots and finished 21-for-26 in the first half (80.8 percent), turning the game into something reminiscent of a shooting clinic.

Every Spartan made at least 50 percent of his shots - and it wasn't as if the Spartans were getting easy looks at the basket. Nearly all of the first-half baskets were long jump shots, but the Buckeyes (11-11, 3-6) had no answers.

"I cannot remember a game in which I have been associated with a team that has shot so well," said Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien, who is in his 18th year of coaching and at his third different school.

MSU head coach Tom Izzo was equally impressed by his team's offensive execution, which gave the Spartans their 17th win over Ohio State in 20 games.

"If we don't hit those shots, the game at halftime is a lot closer," Izzo said. "As you can imagine, if you have to shoot 73 percent to win by 14 at the end, I think you have to give Ohio State a lot of credit.

"We just shot the ball so well, I don't think it was bad defense, it was just ridiculous shooting."

Five Spartans scored in double figures, led by sophomore guard Maurice Ager, who scored 18 points and added four rebounds off the bench. Junior guards Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert added 16 and 15 points, respectively.

Junior swingman Alan Anderson played a team-high 37 minutes, but more impressive than his 12 points and four assists was his number of turnovers - one.

Sophomore center Paul Davis scored 11 points and added a game-high five assists. The Spartans had a 20-point lead before the Buckeyes made their only serious run of the game early in the second half.

Ohio State drained four straight 3-pointers, stringing together a 12-3 run and shrinking MSU's lead to just 11 at 62-51.

And that's when the MSU defense tightened up. After that, the Buckeyes never got within single digits.

Aside from the quick success, the Buckeyes used their physicality and free-throw line performance to stay in the game.

In the first half alone, four of MSU's starters (Davis, Torbert, Hill and freshman guard Shannon Brown) each committed two fouls.

With 7:44 left in the first half, the Buckeyes were whistled for their second foul. At that point, the Spartans had been called for nine.

Ohio State finished the game with 10 more free throws made and 17 more attempts than the Spartans. The final foul total also favored the Buckeyes, 24-18.

"We did give them a lot of points in the first half on fouls," Davis said. "But the fouls were really lopsided in that game."

Not only can the Spartans say they are playing to their preseason potential, the team has a conference record to back it up. After losing its first conference game, MSU has won seven of eight, including four in a row.

With Northwestern's upset of No. 14 Wisconsin (15-4, 6-2) on Saturday, the Big Ten lead is solely in the Spartans' hands.