Published: March 15, 2008 08:11 pm         

Top seeded Badgers edge Michigan State in comeback win

INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan State led for over 18 minutes in the second half of Saturday’s Big Ten semifinal game, but when Wisconsin senior Michael Flowers took a 65-63 advantage on a breakaway lay-up with 27 seconds left on the clock, the Spartans would not retake the lead.

Michigan State pushed its lead to as much as 12 points with 8:17 left in the contest, but the Badgers found a way to win the way they normally do — by drawing fouls and beating their opponents at the free-throw line.

“I don’t think words will adequately describe what these guys did in the comeback,” Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said. “I really liked what these guys did on every possession. Michigan State gave us everything they had. It was an extremely physical and tough game, but in the end our guys just managed to get one more possession, and that says a lot for them.”

Four Spartan big men went to the bench early with five fouls, three fouling out in less than a minute’s span. With the score 55-45 at the 6:06 mark, Michigan State’s Idong Ibok fouled Brian Butch on a 3-point attempt for his fifth. On the next Wisconsin possession, now up by only seven, Drew Naymick committed his fifth foul. After a Spartan turnover, Goran Suton was whistled for his fifth, and Wisconsin’s Joe Krabbenhoft cut the deficit to 55-51 at the free-throw line.

“We’re going to touch the post,” Ryan said. “We’re going to try to get something going to the rim, and that’s how you get fouled.”

Completely undersized, the Spartans saw their lead gradually disappear, despite a solid shooting performance by guards Drew Neitzel and Kalin Lucas. Neitzel finished the game with 26 points, going 4-of-10 from the 3-point line. In an up-and-down year for the senior point guard, Neitzel had a superb tournament, averaging 27.0 points per game.

“It’s a hard time. We really felt we could win this tournament,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said. “I think what the truth of it is, it’s been a tough year for (Neitzel) ... For him to play like he did the last two days and play the number of minutes, I’ve always said good things happen to people who work hard and stick to it.”

Lucas added 18 points, connecting on seven of his 13 shots.

“Kalin Lucas did a hell of a job today,” Izzo said. “He made some big-time plays and some big-time shots.”

Michigan State came out the offensive aggressor from the opening minutes, but its lead never grew past four points in the first half. The Spartans shot 44 percent before the half, but Wisconsin hung close as they got to work early on fouls. The Badgers drew 14 Spartan fouls in the first half, translating into 13 points from the charity stripe. They finished the game 26-of-37 at the line, as Michigan State committed 30 total fouls.

Wisconsin took a 23-22 lead with 4:01 left in the opening half, but its advantage was short-lived, as Michigan State reclaimed the lead with a Chris Allen trey. The Spartans maintained a 29-17 lead at the half.

The Badgers came out in the second half unable to find the basket. A Butch put-back was Wisconsin’s only score in the first five minutes, and the Spartans went on a 9-0 run to take a 39-29 lead.

Matters only seemed to get worse for the Badgers midway through the half as speedy sophomore guard Trevon Hughes left the game with an ankle injury. He has averaged 11.6 points per game on the season.

The Badgers rallied around their injured teammate, and stayed patient while the Spartan big men dropped like flies. Two minutes after Naymick and Suton found the bench for good, forward Raymar Morgan was the third starter to foul out, putting the game on the shoulders of Michigan State’s athletic guards.

Wisconsin went on a 9-0 run of its own, cutting the deficit to 55-54. Lucas scored five points on three possessions to keep the Spartans in control, but Wisconsin’s Marcus Landry and Brian Butch continued to fight.

Landry finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. Butch scored a team-high 19 points, pulling down seven rebounds.

A Lucas jumper gave Michigan State a 63-61 lead with two minutes remaining. Landry drew another foul on the following possession, nailing both free throws to tie the game. The teams struggled with turnovers and errant shots until Michigan State took possession in the final minute.

With 27 seconds on the clock, Wisconsin’s Michael Flowers stole a pass and took it on a fast break for two of his four points, giving the Badgers a 65-63 lead.

“I just wanted to cover (Neitzel) and make sure that if he doesn’t have the ball, he can’t score,” Flowers said. “I was over-pressuring him and the pass came. I tipped it, and just ran as fast a I could for the lay-up.”

The Spartans controlled the ball as Neitzel looked for an opening. He found an open look with eight seconds left, but could not connect. It was a heart-wrenching loss for Michigan State, which now sets its sights on the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s going to be tough because I felt almost every player put their heart into it,” Michigan State junior Travis Walton said. “It was a tough game, but it’s going to be a quick turnaround for us.”

This was Wisconsin’s ninth-straight victory, as they advance to the Big Ten Tournament finals. The Badgers will close out the tournament at 3:30 p.m. today, when they take on 10th-seed Illinois. The Illini advanced to the final round with a 54-50 win over sixth-seed Minnesota, Saturday.



Eric Smith writes for The Lebanon (Ind.) Reporter.