For several weeks, it appeared as though Michigan State Basketball was firmly out of the Big Ten title race after starting 3-4 in conference following three consecutive losses to Iowa, Wisconsin and Nebraska, respectively, in mid-January.
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Most analysts presumed that the Big Ten was going to come down to a battle between Iowa, Maryland, and Indiana. Michigan State bounced back from their early conference season struggles, winning five out of six games while knocking off Big Ten front-runners Maryland and Indiana along the way.