It's safe to assume Michigan State does not want to see Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament come March.
The Scarlet Knights gave the Spartans all they could handle on Wednesday night, pushing the nation's No. 4-ranked team to overtime on the road before falling, 76-72, in a contest that was even closer than last month's 10-point home loss to the Spartans.
It will go down as a near-miss for Rutgers, but a mighty impressive one. The Scarlet Knights trailed by 12 early in the first half and was down by seven with 6:23 left in regulation, but kept battling back, taking a brief lead in regulation and another in the extra period before the Spartans were able to finally get off the court with a victory at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan.