Spartans fall just short of big win over Buckeyes
Many Michigan State fans thought the Spartans were down for the count at halftime against No. 5 Ohio State. MSU trailed by 20 and Ohio State seemingly couldn’t miss. What they didn’t realize was that Drew Neitzel was about to put on a show for the ages during the second half. MSU pulled within two points and had a shot to win but Maurice Joseph’s three-pointer fell short at the end of regulation in the 66-64 loss. Joe Rexrode of the Lansing State Journal writes that Tom Izzo compared Neitzel’s 29 point effort to several former Spartan greats.
“Scott Skiles-ish, Steve Smith-ish,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said when asked to put Neitzel’s performance in perspective. “Shawn Respert, Morris Peterson, it’s one that will go down (in history).”
MSU had the ball with a final shot. Neitzel was swarmed and had to pass to Maurice Joseph, who had a good look at a 3-pointer. It missed left and the Buckeyes tapped the ball away as the clock expired - then took a collective sigh of relief.
The Spartans fall to 17-5 overall and 4-3 in the Big Ten, with nine difficult games left in the regular season and a few wins needed to secure an NCAA Tournament bid. OSU (18-3, 6-1) continues its chase of first-place Wisconsin and a high NCAA seeding.