After winning the Big 10 tournament with a 69-55 win over UM, MSU's Spartans earned a No. 4 seed spot in the NCAA showdown series that starts this week.
The win, which earned the Spartans' fourth Big Ten tournament championship, shows "how dangerous the Spartans could be in the upcoming NCAA tournament, now that they’re healthy and clicking," Joe Rexrode writes at the Free Press' website.
Adreian Payne scored 18 points for MSU and Branden Dawson continued his huge weekend for the Spartans.
Dawson, who missed both of MSU’s regular-season losses to U-M with a broken hand, had 15 points, six rebounds, high-flying dunks and terrific defense. He was the Spartans’ best all-around player in the tournament.
Gary Harris, a sophomore, also sank 15 points for MSU.
"The Spartans' defensive effort was superior Sunday, and all weekend," sportswriter Pat Caputo posts at his Oakland Press blog. "Michigan State didn't shoot well at all from the outside, and still routed the Wolverines."
UM coach drew a technical foul for questioning referees’ calls when he claimed MSU was getting away with being too physical, Rpb Beard reports at The Detroit News' live blog.
Sunday afternoon's conference championship game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the Pacers' home court, was the third this season between the state rivals. UM won the other two times.
The Spartans start the NCAA tournament against Delaware on Thursday in Spokane, Wash., while UM drew a No. 2 seed spot that same day in Milwaukee against small Wofford College of Spartanburg, S.C.
The conference leaders's statisytics BEFORE today's game.
