The ninth-ranked Michigan St. Spartans lost to the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines, 60-59, on Tuesday night, but it wasn't for lack of chances in the final seconds.
VIDEO: Michigan Beats Michigan State, 60-59, Draymond Green Guarantees Spartans Win Rematch
Coming out of a timeout with 31.4 seconds on the clock, the Spartans had at least two solid looks at the basket plus one tip-in attempt just before time expired that hit the rim. As you can see in the video below, though, it didn’t matter. Sophomore Keith Appling had his shot blocked by Jordan Morgan, and Draymond Green simply missed a runner in the paint.
Green finished the game with just seven points, less than half of the team-high 15.8 he’s averaging on the season. Perhaps feeling a bit responsible for the loss, he guaranteed next month’s rematch would go the other way. From ESPN’s Wolverine Nation:
“They won three. Before that, how many how had they won?” Green said. “They got their little three, but they come to East Lansing in a few weeks.
“They better celebrate this one, because I can guarantee you they won’t get one in East Lansing. You can quote me on that one.”
[...] “Everybody can circle it,” Green said. “Because I can guarantee you, to come in there and get a win, it’s going to take a lot. So celebrate this one. Be happy with it. February 5th.”
For more on the two teams, check out Michigan State blog The Only Colors and Michigan blog Maize ‘n’ Brew, along with SB Nation Detroit.
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