MSU's Neitzel topples OSU

Drew Neitzel wanted redemption for himself and the rest of the Spartans.

Less than a week after Neitzel was held to just six points in a loss to Ohio State in the final game of the regular season, he burned the Buckeyes for a season-high 28 points in No. 19 Michigan State’s 67-60 win Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament.

“This is the best I’ve felt. I just wanted to come out and be aggressive,” said Neitzel, who hit six 3-pointers. “I think in a lot of games this year I was aggressive at certain points, and other parts of games I sat back and let my teammates do the work.

“I got a chance to redeem myself, not only myself but the team got a chance to redeem ourselves, and we took advantage of the opportunity.”

Fourth-seeded Michigan State (25-7), which lost to Wisconsin in the semifinals last year, will get a rematch with the top-seeded Badgers on Saturday. Wisconsin advanced with a 51-34 quarterfinal victory over Michigan in the lowest-scoring game in Big Ten tourney history.

For more details, read Saturday's Vindicator or visit Vindy.com.