Though the Michigan State Spartans gave the Purdue Boilermakers all they could handle this afternoon, a victory just wasn’t in the cards. The Spartans concluded their run through the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis by falling in the semifinal round to No. 9 Purdue by a 75-70 final score at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The win is especially significant for Purdue, given the fact that this marks the first time they’ve defeated Michigan State in the history of the conference tournament.
Head coach Tom Izzo stated afterward that while he certainly was unhappy with the setback, he was still proud of his players.
“I’m both disappointed and proud,” he said. “I thought we made some plays, but we got beat by a really good team.”
“We just fell short to a team that’s probably better than us.”
A.J. Hoggard led the way for Michigan State with 17 points and three assists, while Gabe Brown contributed 16. Meanwhile, Purdue was led by Jaden Ivey‘s 22 points, while Trevion Williams added 15. The Spartans had to play the entire second half without the services of Tyson Walker, who suffered an ankle injury and didn’t return to action.
It was an interesting day, but hopefully one we can learn and grow from,” Izzo continued. “We feel we can play with anybody, but we still have some things to correct.”
Izzo also provided an update on Walker’s ankle injury, stating that there wasn’t a break but that more information is needed.
“I don’t know how bad it is,” he said. “It’s not broke or anything but bad enough that it will be some time here, and that’s disappointing.”
The NCAA Tournament bracket will be released tomorrow evening at 6:00 PM EST, where the Spartans will learn their fate.
“Can we get consistent enough to make a little run? Who knows where we’ll be seeded, who cares where we’ll be seeded,” Izzo said. “Nothing matters except us getting a little better.”
– – Quotes via Chris Solari Link – –
