Spartan Defense Shuts Down Purdue

↵Purdue held a two-point lead at halftime, thanks to some stout defense. Michigan State had held its own, keeping the Boilermakers under 40% shooting and preventing Purdue from getting second chances. That mode amplified in the second half. Purdue scored only four points in the first 15 minutes of the second half, missing 16 of 18 shots. The Spartans didn’t exactly explode, racking up a modest 18 points in the same span. But the defense helped them to a 12-point lead Michigan State wouldn’t relinguish. MSU won by 11.
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↵Purdue did put together some offense to close the game, but the team couldn’t close. A few Spartan mistakes in the closing moments forced Tom Izzo to put back in some seniors who had already said their goodbyes to the Breslin Center (by way of midcourt kiss), but the game never quite fell into question once MSU ran out to the big lead.
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↵People Who Know think the Spartans have a shot at a No. 1 seed, provided a waltz through Big Ten tournament that mimics MSU’s waltz through the Big Ten regular season. The real mystery surrounding the Big Ten heading into the tournament though seems to follow the Northwestern Wildcats, who visits Ohio State this evening with a chance to be disappointed on Selection Sunday hope for a berth on the line.↵