Buckeyes Lose to Spartans, Get 2 Seed in NCAA Tournament

Ohio State failed to win a third consecutive conference championship, falling to the Michigan State Spartans 68-64 on Sunday afternoon.

The Buckeyes went back and forth with the Spartans, trading the lead 16 times before ultimately falling short in Indianapolis. Jared Sullinger bounced back from early foul trouble to score 14 points in the second half (18 total), but a few poor shots from Ohio State’s All-American late in the game doomed the Buckeyes.

"It was a fight," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "That was one of those physical, tough games."

The Buckeyes opened the second half making five of their first six shots from the field before going on an 11-3 run. The surge, fueled by Sullinger, put Ohio State up by seven points with less than 14 minutes to play. Michigan State answered right back with a 10-0 run of their own, including eight straight points from Brandond Wood. The senior guard, who came into the game averaging just eight points a game, torched the Buckeyes for a game-high 21 points.

The Spartans maintained a five point lead down the stretch before one final push from the Buckeyes. A Sullinger layup made it a 64-62 game, but Draymond Green 3-pointer with a minute and a half to go gave Michigan State a five point lead that was too big to overcome.

Green was ecstatic about Michigan State’s first tournament championship in over a decade, but he deflected the praise to his teammates, "It was a tough game for me, but my guys picked me up," Green said. "Everybody gives me the credit, but these guys came through huge two days in a row."

Hours after the game, Matta and the Buckeyes earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Buckeyes will play in the East Region and face off against Loyola (MD) on Thursday, March 15. The game will tip off around 9:40 pm EST and be televised by TNT.

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