Post Game Notes: Ohio State
3/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 11, 2016
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Michigan State B1G Tournament Quarterfinal Post-Game Notes vs. Ohio State (March 11)
- Michigan State moves to 25-14 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament. Four of those 25 wins have come against Ohio State.
- MSU advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the sixth-straight year and the Spartans improved to 13-6 in the quarterfinals, including 8-2 in Indianapolis.
- The 81 points by the Spartans aretheir third-highest in a Big Ten Tournament game and the most since scoring 83 against Wisconsin on March 15, 2014. MSU's 31 field goals made are its second-most in a Big Ten Tournament game behind 32 vs. Iowa on March 9, 2012. The Spartans' 10 steals are their second-most in the Big Ten Tournament behind 11 vs. Minnesota on March 12, 2010.
- The Spartan defense limited Ohio State to just 9.1 percent from 3-point range, finishing 1-of-11 from behind the arc, going 0-of-10 for the majority of the game until JaQuan Lyle made a trey with 1:16 left in the game. The 9.1 percent and the one 3-pointer made were both season-lows by the MSU defense, and the lowest sinceholding Rider to just one 3-pointer on 7.7 percent (1-of-13) on Nov. 27, 2014.
- This is the third win over the Buckeyes this season for MSU, with all three meetings coming in the last five games(since Feb. 23). The Spartans lead the all-time series against Ohio State, 72-57, and have now beaten the Buckeyes in the last five meetings as part of winning 32 of the last 46 match-ups in the series.
- MSU has defeated Ohio State by an average score of 20.3 through the three meeting this season (+19 on Feb. 23, +15 on March 5, +27 on March 11). Prior to this season's three meetings, the previous 12 match-ups in the series were decided by 10 points or less and seven of the previous nine had been decided by four points or less.
- The 27-point victory is Michigan State's largest in the Big Ten Tournament and largest over Ohio State in program history.
- The Spartans are now 91-35 (.720) in March since the 1998-99 season. For his career, Tom Izzo is 98-42 (.698) in March. Over the last seven-plus years (2009-present), MSU is 45-15 (.746) in what Coach Izzo calls his favorite month of the year.
- MSU won its third-straight game on March 11 and is 14-3 all-time on the date including 4-2 in the Big Ten Tournament.
- A total of 14 different Spartans saw action and 10 different players scored, including four starters in double-figures in senior guard Denzel Valentine with 19 points, junior guard Eron Harris with 13 points, freshman forward Deyonta Davis with 12 points and senior forward Matt Costello with 10 points.
- Senior guard Denzel Valentine led all scorers with 19 points. Valentine went into half with a game-high 14 points. The Spartan senior finished one rebound and two assists shy of a triple-double.
- Now averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists, Valentine remains on pace to become the first player to average 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for a season since the NCAA first recognized the assist as an official stat in 1983-84.
- Valentine's eighth assists are tied for No. 3 by a Spartan in a Big Ten Tournament game, matching eight by Mateen Cleaves vs. Northwestern on March 5, 1999 and by Drew Neitzel vs. Wisconsin on March 9, 2007.
- The 19 points was Valentine's 26th-straight game scoring in double-figures and the 28th of the season in playing 29 games. The lone game without double-digits was seven against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 20, 2015 in playing just 28 minutes in MSU's 92-46 win.
- Costello's 10 points gives him double-figure scoring for the 18th game this season and fifth in a row.
- The Spartans opened up a double-digit lead early in the second half after leading by seven, 33-26, at the half. MSU went on an 18-6 run to open the second after scoring the first eight points of the half.
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