Spartans advance to face Buckeyes


March 11, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

Indianapolis

Michigan State’s Draymond Green didn’t let go of the disappointment from last week’s loss to Ohio State.

Instead, he used it as motivation for the Big Ten tournament.

Green finished with 14 points and 16 rebounds, and Austin Thornton scored all 12 of his points on 3-pointers Saturday, leading No. 8 Michigan State past No. 14 Wisconsin 65-52 and into its first conference title game since 2000.

“It’s just another opportunity for us. We had two chances to win the Big Ten outright, we didn’t do it,” Green said. “You can’t really make up for it, but it’s an opportunity to feel better about it if we get this conference tournament championship. It’s just another way to leave that footprint, leave your legacy.”

After finishing the regular season with consecutive losses at Indiana and at home against the Buckeyes, defeats that might have cost Michigan State (26-7) a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, the Spartans intend to take full advantage of a third opportunity to prove it is the Big Ten’s best team.

The Spartans’ next chance comes today against No. 7 Ohio State or No. 10 Michigan. The Spartans went 1-1 against the Buckeyes this season and finished in a three-way tie with them and Michigan atop the regular-season standings.

To the Spartans, this is not just another game — it intends to finish the job.

“Definitely want to break the tie,” said Green, the Big Ten player of the year.

Whether it matters in the NCAA selection committee’s ultimate decision-making process is still up for debate. A top seed might be tough to come by.

But sharing titles isn’t good enough anymore for seniors like Green and Thornton.

Green has now recorded double-doubles in both of the Spartans double-digit tourney wins, and the Spartans followed two different blueprints to essentially get the same outcome. They took control early against Iowa and pulled away for a 92-75 victory.

On Saturday, it was defense that sparked Michigan State’s first-half comeback and kept Wisconsin at arm’s length.