With a slim possibility of making the NCAA tournament this season, the Spartans (13-9, 7-9 Big Ten) have improved their chances with another quality win. On Thursday, February 25, MSU upset No.4 Ohio State, with a close score of 71-67. This is the second top-five win of the week for the Spartans, after defeating Illinois on Tuesday.

A strong start had the Spartans leading 11-6 a few minutes into the game until junior forward Aaron Henry was sent to the bench after getting called for a second foul. His absence led to Ohio State pulling through and claiming its lead for the remainder of the half. 

Going into the second half, Ohio State had a five-point lead which lit a fire under the Spartans. The Buckeyes went ahead 49-40 midway through the second half, but the Spartans would not let them pull away by going on a 16-6 scoring run. The Buckeyes missed eight straight shots in the last four minutes of the game due to MSU’s overwhelming defense. This allowed Henry to do his thing and take control of the game offensively. 

“Joshua Langford and the @MSU_Basketball defense come up in the clutch!” praised Big Ten Network on Twitter, after some incredible defensive plays made by Michigan State.

While the Buckeyes were struggling offensively, the Spartans took advantage and dominated. They played their best basketball of the half by sinking shots from all angles.

The leading scorer of the night for MSU was Henry who finished the game with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals. Following him was teammate Gabe Brown with 11 points.

“They’re still a 1 seed in my mind. In our conference, there are so many good teams and you never get a night off,” said Coach Izzo in a post game interview.

While hopes are kept alive for Michigan State to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, they need to prove they belong there. The next couple of games will be the deciding factor if the Spartans will get a bid into March Madness.