WASHINGTON -- The shots weren’t falling for Michigan State. The defense couldn’t stop Minnesota in the paint.
Yet the fifth-seeded Spartans clawed and scraped all afternoon today before falling to the Gophers, 63-58, at Verizon Center.
That means MSU (19-14) heads back to East Lansing to wait for Sunday’s NCAA tournament selection show to find out if and where it would play next. The Spartans have played in 19 consecutive NCAA tournaments under Tom Izzo.
It was a Big Ten slugfest with a thumping cadence and flow. The Gophers (24-8) pulled away with a 10-2 run over a four-minute stretch.