“We had three of the greatest practices that I've had since I've been here,” Izzo said. “We did not bring it today, and they did.”

Cooper led MSU with a 20-point double-double with 11 rebounds. The big man’s mid-range shot was pure all night, a vital source of easy buckets when MSU needed a spark. Following Cooper, Scott put 12 on the board and Fears scored 11 with 8 assists. 

It was a career-high for Cooper, who shot 7-for-10 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line, forcing a clear height advantage at times. 

The pick-and-roll between Cooper and Fears was the strongest part of MSU’s offense. The two veterans operated in sync, using the play to create mismatches in the restricted area.

Cooper said his and Fear's chemistry needs to continue to improve for the pick-and-roll to run as well as it has this year.

“We both make each other better in that aspect,” Cooper said. “Teams this late in the season, they're going to get better scouting it. So we've got to become a better unit.”

For as much as MSU struggled in the first half, they made the necessary changes to come out recharged down the stretch. Izzo opted to play his starters for far more minutes in the second half, leading to a more cohesive attack on offense.

OSU thwarted nearly every MSU fast-break threat, making Izzo and the Spartans switch to a half-court based offense. MSU netted nine points in a fast break, far fewer than its average this season.

The slower style worked for MSU’s starters, namely Fears, Cooper and Scott, but when the bench came on to the court, all momentum came to a screeching halt. MSU’s bench scored just 9 points: 5 for Kur Teng and 4 for Cam Ward. Izzo said he needs more out of certain players on his team for MSU to win in March.

“We got to get more out of people than we got, or we're not going to be good enough,” Izzo said. “We just missed some shots, we missed some layups, we took some bad shots, things that we don't normally do.”

With four minutes left and a six-point lead, Fears handed the ball to Scott, who dribbled toward the top of the key. The freshman guard received a screen from Cooper, who rolled to the basket. MSU’s leading scorer, Cooper, caught the pass from Scott on the roll and slammed it home. The dunk sent the crowd into a frenzy and pushed MSU past the hump to their 12th Big Ten victory.

With time running down, OSU tried to force shots through Thornton, but to no avail. The four-year starter led all scorers with 32 points, accounting for more than half of OSU’s total. Scott, one of MSU’s top defenders this season, guarded Thornton in the second half and said he was doing his best to contain him.

“Knew the matchup was gonna be exciting when I got put on him, so just trying to hold my own,” Scott said. “He was trying to score the ball. He attacked me. He was their go-to scorer.”

OSU held all the authority in the paint in the first half. The Buckeyes outscored MSU 22-8 down low in the first 20 minutes, and flipped the script on the Spartans' usual physical presence. A 5-for-20 start from the field and an over-5-minute scoring drought were enough for Ohio State to go into the break with confidence.

On defense, MSU had no answer for Thornton. The 20-point-per-game guard scored 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting in the first half with dribble drives through the Spartans to the rim. 

With the win, MSU is one spot outside of earning a triple bye in the Big Ten tournament, given to the top-four teams. Come March, success is awarded to those who get hot at the right time. Something Izzo said he knows to be true after 27-straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. 

MSU has three days off before facing No. 7 Purdue at Mackey Arena on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 8 p.m. Purdue has lost just three home games this season — to No. 6 Iowa State, No. 1 Michigan and Indiana.

MSU then wraps up the season with 11-16 (4-12) Rutgers and a rematch against Michigan in Ann Arbor. 

"This is the time of year you've got to be getting better every game,” Izzo said. “Today, we did not get better.”