Friday, March 29, 2024

Badgers last roadblock in championship race

Sophomore forward Matt Trannon and freshman center Drew Naymick double-team Penn State forward Aaron Johnson on a rebound Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center at State College, Penn. The Spartans beat the Nittany Lions, 67-42, with 23 of 28 field goals coming from assists. —

State College, Pa. - Sharpen the scissors and get the ladders out of storage, because MSU is playing for a Big Ten Championship - and a chance to cut down the nets - Tuesday against Wisconsin at Breslin Center.

The Spartans (17-9 overall, 12-3 Big Ten) beat Penn State, 67-42, on Saturday night, guaranteeing them at least a share of the Big Ten Championship if they win their regular season finale against the Badgers.

"Everything now is one and done," head coach Tom Izzo said. "That's the great part about this time of year. If we don't win the next game, we're probably out of the Big Ten Championship run."

MSU attempted a season-high 27 3-pointers, making 11, while holding Penn State (9-16, 3-11) to 35 percent shooting. The result was a blowout win for the Spartans.

Illinois (20-5, 11-3) stayed in the championship race, a half game behind MSU, with a win against Northwestern on Saturday. Illinois is on the road for its remaining two games - at Purdue and at Ohio State.

Despite the docile crowd at Bryce Jordan Center and an opponent with little to play for, the Spartans had no trouble establishing a championship level of intensity early in the game.

"It's difficult for them and it's difficult for us to make sure you stay focused on what you got to do," Izzo said of the game's atmosphere. "That's why I was so impressed by our start, because I thought it was very focused."

There would be no let-downs, no mercy and, strangely enough, no free throws for MSU as they dropped a hammer on Penn State, taking a 20-5 lead to start the game.

The Nittany Lions never recovered; the closest they got was within 10 points of MSU.

"We just couldn't score a basket," Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis said.

MSU, on the other hand, didn't have much trouble scoring. The Nittany Lions used a zone defense most of the game, which clogged up the interior and opened up the perimeter.

The Spartans took advantage of their outside opportunities, making 40.7 percent of their 3-pointers. Overall, MSU shot 50.9 percent from the field.

"I guess they wanted to try to force us to beat them from outside," said junior guard Kelvin Torbert, who scored 15 points and was 3-for-3 from the 3-point range.

The Spartans converted on many of their outside shots, but Izzo said the offense must be more balanced in the future.

"We can't play that way," he said. "I don't care how well we're shooting it, because we have to make sure Paul Davis is getting more touches."

At times, Davis had trouble finding enough space to work in the post. Adapting to the defense, he extended his range and made a few jump shots. He finished with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting, four rebounds and six assists, tying him with junior swingman Alan Anderson for the team lead.

While it might seem strange for MSU's center to be tied for the team lead in assists, the fact that MSU didn't attempt a single free throw the entire game was more surprising. MSU was the first Big Ten team this season not to shoot a free throw in a game.

"It was not officiating; it was the fact that we didn't do much taking it to the basket," Izzo said.

The win was MSU's fifth straight and ninth in its last 10 games.

"We feel we're playing the best we've played all year," senior center Jason Andreas said.

Now, the stage is set for MSU's first Big Ten Championship since 2001, which, at the time, was its fourth straight. The Spartans lost at Wisconsin, 77-64, in their Big Ten opener. On Tuesday, they'll get a chance to avenge that loss and win a conference championship in front of a home crowd.

"This means a lot more. This means twice as much as just a normal game in the Big Ten," Andreas said. "We're playing for the Big Ten Championship."

Injury update

Sophomore guard Maurice Ager played only 15 minutes because he suffered a deep left-thigh bruise.

"That kind of bothers me, because those are the things that linger sometimes," Izzo said.

Joe Guillen is The State News men's basketball reporter. Reach him at guillenj@msu.edu

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