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Mich. St Tops Wisconsin
About time we beat a ranked opponent. Looks like Illinois will take the Big 10 (probably Big 10 Tournament too) but as long as Mich. St. gets a good NCAA tournament seed I'll be happy.
No. 10 Michigan St. Stops No. 20 Wis.
Fri Feb 25, 7:53 AM ET Sports - AP
By LARRY LAGE, AP Sports Writer
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Alan Anderson didn't miss a shot and scored a career-high 28 points to lead the 10th-ranked Michigan State Spartans to a 77-64 win over No. 20 Wisconsin on Thursday night, snapping a 12-game losing streak against ranked opponents and a six-game skid against the Badgers.
A lot of weight just came off our shoulders," said Paul Davis, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds. "I guess we proved some critics wrong."
The Spartans (20-4, 11-2 Big Ten) have won 10 of 11 since losing to the Badgers on Jan. 16, winning their last nine by double digits.
Those lopsided victories didn't quiet many skeptics because of the streak against ranked opponents dating to the regional finals of the 2003 NCAA (news - web sites) tournament.
"It's no secret, we needed to get over one hurdle," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "There's a bunch more hurdles to go, but you have to get over the first.
"We had to get over this one to give this team a chance to get the weight of the world off their shoulders and to move on."
In other games involving ranked teams, it was: No. 9 Arizona 57, Washington State 56 in overtime; No. 12 Gonzaga 84, Portland 68; No. 14 Washington 90, Arizona State 82; and No. 24 Cincinnati 80, Marquette 68.
Anderson made sure the Spartans didn't have to talk about why they failed to win another marquee game.
He was 10-of-10 from the field and 7-of-7 from the line, becoming the fourth Michigan State player to take at least 10 shots without missing. The senior forward surpassed his previous career high of 18 points early in the second half.
"He did a great job of penetrating and taking care of business around the basket," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "You name it, he did it."
Anderson matched a field-goal percentage mark at Michigan State. Ron Charles made all 12 of his shots in a game in 1980, while Carlton Valentine (1986) and Bob Chapman (1977) both went 11-for-11.
"I don't think I missed a shot in warmups," Anderson said. "I said, `Man, this feels good.'"
Alando Tucker scored 18 points and Mike Wilkinson had 16 for the Badgers (17-7, 8-5), who have lost three of five, allowing Indiana to pull into a third-place tie in the Big Ten standings.
"We don't like to say it happens at Wisconsin, but they outworked us," Tucker said.
The Spartans beat Wisconsin for the first time since Feb. 27, 2001 — thanks to Anderson.
He scored 11 straight points for Michigan State early in the first half, giving the Spartans an 11-point lead, which they maintained easily.
"The way they're playing, it was hard to get it to single digits, let alone five or four points and that's what we needed to have a chance," Ryan said.
Michigan State led by as much as 14 before halftime and didn't let the Badgers get closer than eight after Anderson's scoring barrage. Anderson scored 15 points in the first half to help Michigan State take a 33-25 lead.
It didn't take long for the Spartans to earn a comfortable lead again. Offensive rebounds led to seven of their first eight points in the second half, giving them a 41-27 lead with 17:55 left.
Wisconsin didn't pull within single digits again until there was just over a minute left.
No. 9 Arizona 57, Washington State 56, OT
At Pullman, Wash., Ivan Radenovic made a pair of free throws with 9 seconds left to help Arizona avoid being swept by Washington State.
Derrick Low's 3-point shot for Washington State rimmed out in the closing seconds and Radenovic rebounded for the Wildcats (24-4, 14-2), who beat the Cougars for the 17th straight time at Pullman.
Channing Frye scored 26 points for Arizona, which has won seven in a row.
The win gave Arizona coach Lute Olson 304 wins in the Pac-10, tied with legendary UCLA coach John Wooden for most wins in the league.
Thomas Kelati led the Cougars with 16 points.
No. 12 Gonzaga 84, Portland 68
At Portland, Ore., Ronny Turiaf had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Gonzaga clinched the West Coast Conference title for the fifth straight season.
Adam Morrison added 22 points for Gonzaga (22-4, 13-2), which has won nine straight. It is the ninth time since 1994 that the Bulldogs have won the regular season conference championship.
Darren Cooper had 20 points for the Pilots (15-14, 4-10).
No. 14 Washington 90, Arizona State 82
At Seattle, Tre Simmons tied a career high with 29 points, including 12 during a four-minute span in the second half, and Washington held off pesky Arizona State.
Washington (22-4, 12-3 Pac-10) kept pace with Arizona in the Pac-10. The Huskies are 1 1/2 games behind the Wildcats and host Arizona on Saturday.
Ike Diogu, leading the Pac-10 in scoring and rebounding, had a game-high 31 points and 15 rebounds for Arizona State (18-10, 7-9).
No. 24 Cincinnati 80, Marquette 68
At Cincinnati, Eric Hicks scored 17 points and the Bearcats beat Marquette, which was playing its first game without leading scorer Travis Diener.
Nick Williams added 16 points, and Jason Maxiell had 14 points for Cincinnati (21-6, 9-4 Conference USA).
Marquette (18-9, 6-8) had trouble finding shots without Diener, who broke his hand Tuesday during practice. He had surgery and will miss the rest of his senior season.
Steve Novak led Marquette with 25 points.
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BTW, I noticed that Om is supposed to be moderating this forum. Since he's gone...are we unmoderated?
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