The job’s not finished yet, but Michigan State men’s basketball just took a giant step toward punching its ticket to a 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.
On Saturday, the Spartans came from behind on several occasions and outlasted No. 10 Illinois for a massive, 88-80 victory at the Breslin Center. The Spartans had a hard time containing the Fighting Illini’s offense through much of the game, but down the stretch Michigan State took its intensity to a whole new level on the defensive end. After Illinois took a 72-64 lead with 7:38 remaining, MSU held the Illini to just eight points the rest of the way, and beat Illinois at their own game — in transition and getting to the free throw line.
Basketball is a game of runs, and that’s exactly how this one played out. After four ties and four lead changes in the opening eight minutes, Illinois grabbed momentum and built a 25-18 lead with 10 minutes left in the half. The Spartans scored the next five points to cut their deficit to two, before the Illini responded with six straight. After each team traded free throws, Michigan State retook the lead on a 10-0 run of its own, part of a 19-7 finish to the first half which saw the Spartans take a 44-41 lead into the locker room.