Three and a half weeks ago, Ohio State and Michigan State took the Schottenstein Center court together for what effectively turned into a snoozefest. The Buckeyes simply handled business, going up by 12 points at halftime and never allowing their lead to drop into single digits in the latter 20-minute half. They won, 79-62, without an ounce of drama. It was, for those who had watched them the entire season, just another example of these Spartans failing to put a competitive product onto the court.
Within the last week, though, a switch has seemingly slipped.
Michigan State, which now sits at 12-9 overall and 6-9 in Big Ten play, went to Bloomington on Saturday and left with a 78-71 win.