Ohio State Defeats Michigan State in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals

The Michigan State Spartans faced off against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on March 12, 2021. The game was played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Spartans entered the game as the ninth seed in the tournament with a record of 15–11, while the Buckeyes were the fifth seed with a record of 18–8. The two teams had split their regular-season matchups, with Michigan State winning 71–67 on Jan. 31 and Ohio State winning 79–62 on Feb. 25.

The game started off slowly, with both teams struggling to find their rhythm. The Spartans jumped out to an early lead, but the Buckeyes were able to close the gap and tie the game at 17 with just under eight minutes left in the first half. Ohio State then went on a 10–0 run to take a 27–19 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the half.

Michigan State was able to trim the deficit to four points at halftime, with Ohio State leading 32–28. The Spartans were led by Aaron Henry, who had 11 points in the first half. The Buckeyes were led by Duane Washington Jr., who had 10 points.

The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading baskets and momentum. Michigan State was able to tie the game at 40 with just over 14 minutes left in the game, but Ohio State responded with a 7–0 run to take a 47–40 lead with just under 12 minutes remaining.

The Spartans were able to cut the deficit to one point with just over three minutes left in the game, but Ohio State responded with a clutch three-pointer from Justice Sueing to push the lead back to four points. From there, the Buckeyes were able to hold off Michigan State’s comeback attempts and secure a 68–59 victory.

Washington Jr. led Ohio State with 18 points, while E.J. Liddell added 14 points and 7 rebounds. Henry led Michigan State with 16 points, while Joshua Langford added 14 points.

With the win, Ohio State advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, where they would face the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines. The loss ended Michigan State’s season, as they fell short of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997.

Overall, it was a hard-fought game between two evenly matched teams. While Michigan State had their chances to come away with the victory, Ohio State was able to make the clutch plays down the stretch and secure the win.