MSU's chance at a Big Ten championship will have to wait - whether for a couple of days or another season is the question.
The Spartans had a chance to recapture the conference crown and raise another banner at Breslin Center after a two-year hiatus, but MSU lost a 68-64 thrilling overtime game to No. 17 Wisconsin on Tuesday night.
The Fighting Illini control the Spartans' destiny now. No. 18 Illinois has to lose one of its final two games in order for MSU (17-10 overall, 12-4 Big Ten) to at least win a share of the Big Ten title.
Wisconsin (20-6, 11-4) also can clinch a share by winning its final regular-season game.
"I could care less about the Big Ten - I hope Illinois wins it," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "I don't want to win the conference championship backing in."
Izzo added that the Badgers earned Tuesday's victory.
"In all honesty, we didn't deserve to win, and they did," he said.
The Spartans had the Badgers on the brink late in the second half. MSU's defense kept the Badgers off the scoreboard for just less than eight minutes while holding a four-point lead.
"I thought we were in the dust bowl," said Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan, who improved to 4-0 all-time against Izzo. "When you get two teams that play defense that way, no one is going to give an inch."
That, however, is when the Spartans suffered the loss of sophomore center Paul Davis. The 6-foot-10 center was torching the Badgers' defense and had scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds - his third double-double of the season - but after a foul, severe leg cramps rendered Davis unable to stand and he didn't return to the game. He was wheeled off on a stretcher after the game.
"Obviously, it was hard to sit on the bench, watching and knowing that I was trying to get back out there, but every time I stood up, my body locked up," Davis said.
Junior guard Chris Hill had two free throws with 22 seconds to play, but both dangled on the rim before falling to the floor.
"I take full responsibility; there are no excuses," Hill said. "It's a championship game. When you play a team that good, it's going to be a one-, two-, three-point game, and it came down to those two free throws, and there is nobody to blame but myself."
He nearly redeemed himself late in overtime. Hill sprinted down the floor and heaved in two 3-pointers to cut the Badgers' lead to three, but it wasn't enough.
Aside from Davis' 25 points, Hill was the only other Spartan to score in double figures, with 15. Junior guard Kelvin Torbert and junior swingman Alan Anderson added seven and six points, respectively, but the duo combined to shoot 4-for-16.
Every time the Spartans made a run and tried to pull away in the first half, Harris sunk a 3-pointer. In the second half, his only basket was a 3-pointer, with a hand in his face, that tied the score at 52 and sent the game into overtime.
The loss kept the Spartans at a winless 0-8 against ranked opponents this season and 0-3 against Wisconsin and Illinois, the only other teams that can win the conference championship.
