Michigan State downs Michigan, earns share of Big Ten title

Michigan and Michigan State met in what was arguably the biggest rivalry game in basketball in the history of the state, but once again it went the way of the Spartans. MSU walked out of Breslin Center with a share of the Big Ten regular season championship on Saturday night with a 75-63 win over the Wolverines,

MSU will be the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament with Purdue as the No. 2 seed. Michigan is locked in now as the No. 3 seed and will play in the final game of the night on Friday in Chicago at the United Center.

The Wolverines were led on offense by Ignas Brazdeikis, who led the team in scoring with 20 points, but fouled out with just over five minutes to play in the game. Michigan State was led by Cassius Winston, who had 23 points and gave the Michigan defense fits for the second game in a row after his big performance at Crisler less than two weeks ago.

The Wolverines went into the locker room at halftime with a 35-29 lead despite the box score going heavily in favor of the Spartans. Water would find its level, however, and the Spartans used a strong second half earn the sweep over the Wolverines.

The Spartans had 30 attempts from the free throw line compared to only seven for the Wolverines, which shines a light on the officiating in the game. There was certainly a discrepancy there that played a role, but the Wolverines once again going stagnant on offense and having too many missed assignments on defense proved to be too much to overcome.

Michigan will now have a double-bye to Friday in the Big Ten Tournament, which kicks off on Wednesday. Their first-round opponent is yet to be determined and with a win, would play the winner of Purdue and whoever their first-round opponent winds up being on Saturday. MSU and Michigan could potentially meet once more if they both reach the Big Ten title game.