The championship was earned, in one of the best games of the college basketball season. A championship bout with teams trading blows for an entire 40 minutes.

The game was by far the best I’ve ever seen in person. And it wasn’t on accident.

Only those two teams could provide the kind of game viewers got on Sunday afternoon.

The two teams proved they deserved to be there, blowing out the two other top teams in the conference — Michigan and Wisconsin — on Saturday.

And the split series in the regular season provided a great setup for the game. Especially with Ohio State earning a share of the regular-season title exactly a week prior to the game, spoiling Senior Day.

With Michigan out of the way, both teams wanted the championship for themselves.

And they didn’t disappoint. Physicality and effort at its finest — the winner deserved the championship and the right to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

And in the end, MSU wanted it more and played like it.

The Spartans were led by senior guard Brandon Wood with 21 points. Wood willed MSU to a lead they never gave up after senior forward Draymond Green went down with a minor injury.

Wood finally was the high-volume scorer we heard about prior to coming to MSU.

And MSU did it without a standout game from Big Ten Player of the Year Green.

But that’s not to say Green didn’t show up, he nailed a 3-pointer to all but seal the game late in the second half.

The Spartans talked all weekend — and season — about leaving a footprint. Well, with the first Big Ten Tournament championship since 2000, this team is well on its way and doing it the Spartan way.

This team is special. It’s on a mission; they want banners. And they haven’t disappointed.

From unranked on an aircraft carrier to Big Ten champions and a No. 1 seed — and the Spartans aren’t finished yet.

Pat Evans is a men’s basketball reporter for The State News. He can be reached at evanspa7@msu.edu.