No. 5 Illinois fights for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournaments.
Michigan State fights a long shot to get in.
The Spartans caused an upset Tuesday that could have a significant impact on the fate of both teams. Michigan State opened a 19-point second half and held out for an 81-72 win to stun Illinois in a win that should probably keep its NCAA tournament expectations alive.
Spartans keep Illinois until a cold shooting night
Junior forward Aaron Henry led Michigan State with 20 points, five rebounds and six assists as four Spartans scored in double digits. The Spartans made contact with 54.2 percent of their field goals, while Illinois kept 40 percent from the ground and 29.4 percent from three-point distance. Illinois also struggled with the line, with 19 of the 34 attempts (55.9 percent).
Like many of the country’s best programs, Michigan State is in uncharted territory this season and is at serious risk of missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997, Tom Izzo’s second season as head coach. Tuesday’s victory will not bring in the Spartans. But it will go a long way in increasing their odds.
Spartans have many opportunities to play indoors
The Spartans have five more regular season games for the Big Ten tournament. One of those games is Thursday in No. 4 Ohio State before closing the season with back-to-back games against third-seeded Michigan. They will have plenty of opportunities to boost their resume in what seemed like a lost season last week.
Illinois, meanwhile, is playing for another set of bets. It’s a slot to make the tournament but stays in a dogfight alongside Big Ten rivals Michigan and Ohio State to join likely top seeds Baylor and and Gonzaga on the top line of the NCAA tournament bracket. Tuesday’s loss won’t help the cause.
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