Columbus, Ohio — Moral victories don't exist. Not in this program.
Not when a statue of Earvin "Magic" Johnson graces the entrance to your home arena.
Not when two national championship banners hang in the rafters above the floor you practice on every day.
And not when "State" is stitched across your chest.
So when Maurice Joseph's buzzer-beating 3-point attempt drifted a few inches left of center, preserving No. 5 Ohio State's 66-64 victory over MSU on Saturday, not a single green-and-white clad player was immune to that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
A loss, be it by one point or 20, is still a loss.
"I don't believe in moral victories," junior guard Drew Neitzel said. "I feel awful."
Neitzel torched the Buckeyes for 29 points, including 24 in the second half, as the Spartans erased a 43-23 halftime deficit.
"We made a hell of comeback, and it wasn't good enough," he said.
MSU shot 30 percent from the field in the first half, while Ohio State shot 63 percent, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. But the Spartans were doing all the little things right.
They outworked the Buckeyes on the glass, beat their Scarlet opponents to every loose ball and kept Greg Oden — Ohio State's phenomenally talented freshman center — from scoring easy buckets.
"If we'd just made a couple of those (shots), we're not that far off," MSU head coach Tom Izzo told his team at halftime.
The players huddled in the corner of the arena before taking the floor for the second half and broke with a chant of "lockdown." True to their word, the Spartans put a vice grip on their opponent, holding Ohio State to 5-of-21 shooting in the second half.
And if MSU's shooting touch was cold in the first 20 minutes, Neitzel's blood was even icier in the second. He blew past Buckeyes guard Jamar Butler for a layup, connected on three straight jumpers and converted a four-point play.
But with 1:41 remaining and the Spartans trailing, 65-64, Neitzel missed the last of three free throws. A defensive stop gave him a second chance, but he couldn't find the range on a 3-point attempt from the corner.
"As a leader, I've got to knock those shots down," Neitzel said.
A loose ball scrum ensued, and MSU forward Raymar Morgan drew a whistle for diving over Oden.
Oden made one free throw, extending the Ohio State's lead to two.
The Spartans inbounded the ball with 11.3 seconds on the clock and executed their final play flawlessly. Neitzel drove around a screen, drew a double team on the right wing and swung the ball back to Joseph, who stood unguarded at the top of the arc. The sophomore guard launched his ill-fated attempt without hesitation.
"It felt good," Joseph said. "It felt good."
But his aim wasn't true, and the shot clanged off the iron. And so goes an "L" on the Spartans' record.
A loss. A defeat. No moral victory.
"Whatever the comeback is, it's gonna be forgotten because we came up short," Neitzel said. "We didn't finish the game."
But the Spartans (17-5 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) learned a great deal about themselves — about what they're capable of achieving.
"They've got bigger hearts than I thought," Izzo said.
And they're a little angry. That fire won't have a chance to burn out, either — the Buckeyes make their return trip to East Lansing in less than a week, with tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday at Breslin Center. MSU must first face Illinois on Tuesday, but make no mistake — Neitzel is eager for another shot at the Buckeyes.
While fielding questions in the locker room after the game, he remained sullen, eyes glued to the floor, eyebrows furled, voice low. But one exchange managed to lift the corners of his mouth into a smile.
A reporter asked, "Are you glad that you see these guys in a week?"
"Yeah, yeah," Neitzel responded, nodding his head as if plotting a plan for revenge. He paused briefly, as if he wanted to say more, but thought better of it.
"Yes."
