Washington — It had been a full two months since Michigan State last saw Penn State, and that loss at The Palestra in Philadelphia back in early January still stung the Spartans on Thursday afternoon.
That’s when the teams took the court at the Verizon Center for the rematch in the Big Ten tournament, and Michigan State was determined to show it was a far different team than then one that lost early in conference play.
And just minutes in, it was clear the Spartans were, indeed, a different team, cruising to a 78-51 victory that advances them into the quarterfinals where they will face fourth-seeded Minnesota at 2:30 p.