“I thought A.J. struggled a little bit in the first half with some turnovers and Ty (Walker) not taking shots,” Izzo said postgame. “In the second half, all three of them really responded like they’re capable of.”

Despite some injuries and deficiencies at the center position, MSU’s seniors were always going to be the key to the team making a run in March. They and junior guard Jaden Akins, who tallied nine points and seven rebounds while making crucial plays in crunch time defensively, propelled MSU to this win late. The Spartans will have to do the same tomorrow, the next day and the next if the Spartans hope to keep advancing in Minneapolis. 

Waiting for them in Friday’s quarterfinal is No. 1 Purdue, the Big Ten’s regular-season champion and a unanimous 1-seed next week in March Madness. Izzo and his squad know they have their hands full with 7-foot-4 Zach Edey and his entourage of smart, talented guards. Nonetheless, MSU has likely achieved what it came to Minneapolis to do first and foremost: secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament’s 68-team field.

It all comes back to the old adage – survive and advance. 

"We’re just excited to be moving on," Izzo said. "I don’t care who we play, we’re still excited to be moving on."

The Spartans wouldn’t have been in a position to potentially miss the NCAA Tournament cut had they closed out a number of games down the stretch of the regular season. But, they wound up losing four of their last five contests, including losses to Ohio State and Indiana where MSU blew sizeable leads late and lost by a single possession. 

So, MSU entered the Big Ten Tournament knowing it needed a win against the Golden Gophers to likely enjoy a sweat-less Selection Sunday.

MSU started slow and sloppy, turning the ball over five times in the opening minutes. An 11-0 Minnesota run in the first half gave the Golden Gophers a 21-14 lead. With how the Spartans stack up against Minnesota’s big-centric offense that revolves around lengthy, husky forwards in Dawson Garcia and Pharrel Payne, they looked to be in trouble in the early going. MSU answered nicely, burying two three-pointers to come back within striking distance. 

Minnesota led 34-32 at the half, leaving the Spartans just 20 minutes to make a statement and potentially grab a spot in March Madness. They did just that. While Walker, Hoggard and Hall established and kept the pace offensively, Akins was arguably the difference with several key plays on the other end.

Akins’ two steals on Thursday came within moments of each other as MSU and Minnesota traded leads in the second half. Both were dig-down swipes in the post and led to run-outs the other way. On the next trip down for the Gophers, Akins positioned himself to grab and secure a crucial rebound off a Garcia airball.

"Jaden Akins will be the unsung player of the game because of three or four defensive plays he made," Izzo said. "Twice he knocked the ball loose, they would’ve had layups."

When Akins entered the game during this stretch, MSU trailed by two points. Four minutes later, the Spartans had their largest lead of the game at eight points. Minnesota called timeout. 

"We look for guys that make game-winning plays, and (Akins) made some game-winning plays," Izzo said. 

MSU sophomore guard Tre Holloman, a Minneapolis native, was rock-solid in his return against the hometown team that heavily recruited him. He scored nine points on 3-for-3 shooting and dished out 4 assists. As Izzo put it postgame, Holloman gave the Spartans “a lift” throughout the contest. 

MSU will have the opportunity to knock off the conference’s top seed tomorrow, which is easier said than done. The Spartans played well at Purdue on March 2 but still lost by six. Regardless, when the calendar hits March, it’s not wise to count out Izzo and his Michigan State basketball team. 

Michigan State and Purdue will tip off at noon EST on Friday, March 15 at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Big Ten Network will air the game.