Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, March 2, 2018

NEW YORK — Michigan State arrived in New York as the No. 1 seed. And the Spartans delivered on their promise by beating No. 9 Wisconsin in their opening game of the Big Ten tourney Friday afternoon.

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It wasn?t a thing of beauty, as the Spartans had to fight to the last seconds to hang on for the win, the team?s 13th in a row. The Badgers gave it a valiant effort before succumbing. Wisconsin will miss the NCAA tourney for the first time since 1998, ending a 19-year run.

Best player: Wisconsin's Ethan Happ had a game-high 22 points and was spectacular. But let?s go with MSU?s Miles Bridges. He led the Spartans with 20 points, hitting 7-of-15 shots with nine rebounds.

Best stat: 41, rebounds for Michigan State, compared to 27 for Wisconsin. MSU also had 16 offensive rebounds

Best shot: Early in the game, Michigan State?s Cassius Winston went end to end and made a sweet up-and-under move to score and give his team a 12-10 edge. It was a thing of beauty.

Best dunk: This one is gonna be difficult to top, as Wisconsin's Brad Davison lobbed a perfect pass to Khalil Iverson, who caught the ball in midair with his back to the basket and slammed it home. Unbelievable.

It was over when: Not until the final seconds could Michigan State exhale. The Spartans led, 63-60, with Miles Bridges at the free throw line with a chance to ice the game with 27 seconds left. But Bridges missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving Wisconsin a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer. After a timeout, the Badgers were unable to get a good look at the hoop, as Brad Davison?s deep and contested 3-pointer didn?t draw iron. Game over. Spartans win despite committing 11 turnovers and being outscored 36-26 in the paint.

Did you see that? Who is that in the crowd? Former big-league pitching ace John Smoltz, a native of Michigan. Former Michigan State players Branden Dawson and Alvin Ellis III were sitting courtside, too.

Notable:

  • Michigan State hit 10-of-11 free throws; Wisconsin was just 2-of-6.
  • The Spartans will play the winner of No. 4 Nebraska and No. 5 Michigan for a shot to play in the semifinals.
  • MSU hasn?t lost since falling at home to Michigan, 82-72, on Jan. 13.