Michigan State (22-5, 10-5 Big Ten) maintained its pace toward a high seed in the NCAA Tournament behind 27 points from Bryn Forbes. Ohio State (18-11, 10-6) saw its tournament hopes take a hit with the loss.
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Here are three things we learned from Tuesday’s game:
1. The Spartans can shoot from deep.
Ohio State had won five of the last seven against Michigan State in Columbus, but the Spartans offset that with a 3-point show. Michigan State hit 7 of 10 from behind the arc in the first half and 6 of 19 from everywhere else in building a 36-31 halftime lead.
Michigan State shot a season-best 14 of 22 (63.6 percent) from 3-point range.
That strong shooting continued in the second half, with Forbes hitting back-to-back 3-pointers in the opening minutes to help the Spartans stretch the lead to double-digits. Forbes became the story of the second half by hitting six of his seven 3-pointers, helping Michigan State win comfortably.
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2. Denzel Valentine got himself on track.
The Michigan State star struggled with his shooting early, but he still compiled 12 points, four assists and two rebounds by halftime and finished with a well-rounded line of 17 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
Each time Ohio State cut into the Spartans’ lead in the second half, Valentine led a push to put Michigan State back ahead by double digits, whether it was a no-look pass to Forbes for a wide-open 3-pointer or his own 3-pointer from the top of the key.
3. The Bucks are on the bubble.
Ohio State played the Spartans tough but missed out on a chance on a resume-building win heading into the final stretch of the regular season. The Buckeyes’ task will be that much taller without Jae’Sean Tate, who is out due to a season-ending shoulder injury.
Ohio State has 10 wins in Big Ten play and a win against Kentucky on its docket, but that’s the Buckeyes’ lone victory against a ranked team.
The last two regular-season games are at home against Iowa and a rematch with the Spartans in East Lansing. Ohio State needs at least one of those and a win or two in the Big Ten Tournament to fortify its case.
