Dawson's energy in the second half was infectious, and the Spartans used a 15-0 second half run to overcome a 16-point deficit and defeat No. 8 Maryland at United Center, 62-58, and advance to the Big Ten championship round.

MSU will face No. 6 Wisconsin on Sunday at 3:30 ET and will look to defend its crown.

"It really started at halftime," senior guard Travis Trice said. "Coach came in and said either you're going to get the job done or I'm not going to play you, and BJ responded like great players do at that point. I mean, somebody else might crumble, but BJ stepped up to the occasion, and he came down clutch for us in the stretch."

Dawson, who finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, was a force on the boards in crunch time. He also drained a pair of free throws with just over two minutes left that gave MSU enough breathing room to close out against a talented Maryland team.

"Sometimes Branden gets mad," Izzo said. "When I know when Branden knows is when he sits there and takes (being challenged). I love him. I love him to death, I swear to God I do. But sometimes I feel like I want it more for him than he does and I just told him I'm not gonna let it happen. I'm not gonna let you screw yourself. You know, he bounced back and he's starting to do that a little better now."

Dawson, in turn, was sparked by freshman forward Marvin Clark, according to Izzo. Clark also brought energy in the second half, making several plays that brought the crowd on its feet.

"I thought in the second half Marvin Clark came in and motivated all of us, especially the guy to the right of me," Izzo said, gesturing to Dawson. "And then when he started playing, with the energy level that he played with, we're just a much, much, much, much, much better team."

Senior guard Travis Trice also had a good game, scoring 13 of his 20 points in the first half.

Maryland got off to a strong start, taking an early 12-1 lead powered by freshman guard Melo Trimble. Trimble scored eight points in the first five minutes and finished with 22 points.

MSU was relaxed defensively, allowing Maryland several good looks at the rim.

"He's a great player, but honestly we weren't getting back in transition early on," Trice said. A couple of his threes were walking, wide open threes, and that's something we got a jump on at halftime was not getting back in transition."

Trice looked for his own shot after Maryland senior forward Evan Smotrycz drained a 3-pointer to give Maryland a 23-7 lead with 16 minutes left, sparking a Spartan run that narrowed the deficit to five at the 4:29 mark of the first half.

Maryland led by 11 early in the second half, but the Spartans used a 15-0 run to take a 40-36 lead with 11:58 to play. The Spartans saw contributions from freshman forward Marvin Clark and junior forward Matt Costello during the run, which Trice says is a testament to MSU's depth.

"I think that just shows their character and how talented we are from top to bottom," Trice said. "Sometimes it might not come from your main guys or your main scorers, and if they’re not playing well somebody’s gotta step up."

A few weeks ago, the Spartans were considered an NCAA bubble team by some bracketologists. On Sunday, they will have a chance to earn an automatic tournament bid and win back-to-back conference titles.

Given the adversity this team faced this season, Saturday's win was an emotional one for the Spartans.

"It's been a hell of a year," Izzo said. "Not in a bad way in any shape or form. But let's face it, everybody knows we're not as talented. We've had some things that we lost, players that I thought we'd have. To see them kind of regroup, to see BJ make those free throws when he makes a ton of them in practice now, that's fun to watch."