The Hoosiers clawed back at the end of the game at Crisler Center and left Ann Arbor with a nail-biting 72-71 victory, securing the outright conference championship and simultaneously dashing the hopes of two Michigan schools with one blow.

And unfortunately, news travels quickly.

Even before the teams retreated to halftime at Breslin Center, the Spartans knew what had happened — first heard on the bench by sophomore guard Russell Byrd and making its way to senior center Derrick Nix.

“I just kind of went into a little slump (when I found out),” Nix said. “But after halftime, (head coach Tom Izzo) picked me back up and I appreciate him for that.”

After a week of speculation how the crowd might react to the final score, given the implication one way or the other, the MSU public address announcer glossed over other scores from around the country, finishing without a single mention of Indiana’s victory. And obviously, the notion of losing out on a share of the Big Ten title — which would have marked the program’s fourth in five years – likely would have been an unsettling one for a near-sellout crowd.

But all is not lost for the Spartans (24-7 overall, 13-5 Big Ten), as they were able to continue on and defeat the Wildcats (13-18, 4-14), 71-61. The Spartans close out the season on a winning note and have earned the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which takes place March 14-17 at the United Center in Chicago.

Addressing the crowd after the game, Izzo said he was comfortable with where the team was at with the events of the day in perspective.

“You’ve got yourself a blue-collar coach,” Izzo told the crowd, referring to Michigan losing. “I’ve never been given anything and I don’t want anything from anybody — ever.”

Of course, the reason Izzo addressed the crowd in the first place was to celebrate the career of Nix and his contributions to the program.

Nix was taken out of the game with 1:03 to play and received a rousing standing ovation, as he briefly kissed the Spartan logo at midcourt and made his way back to the bench. The lone senior on the roster, Nix finished his final regular-season game with 10 points, six assists and four rebounds.

After watching his former high school teammate at Detroit Pershing High School taken out of the game, junior guard Keith Appling said he was proud of what Nix has been able to accomplish.

“I was glad to see he made it through four years of college,” Appling said. “I just wish him the best.”

Escorted on the floor by his mother Darlis Nix, Derrick also gave a short speech to the crowd, thanking his friends, family and Izzo for sticking with him through a roller coaster-type career at MSU.

“Coach has been there for me through thick and thin; he’s more like a father figure,” he said in the locker room. “It just shows my appreciation to the program.”

The Spartans now will play the winner of No. 6-seeded Iowa and No.11-seeded Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament on March 15 in Chicago — the first step in what many expect to be a lengthy postseason run.

But even with some feeling disappointment over not earning a share of the conference title, Izzo said the Spartans know it’s the time of year the team prepares for and he expects his team to be ready.

“Since we won our first (Big Ten championship), that’s where I’ve wanted the program to be,” Izzo said. “We’ve got a lot of things to feel good about, but it’s this time of year now when you get measured a little bit on what you do from now on.”