Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from Ohio State win in Big Ten tourney

By Connor Muldowney

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 15: Xavier Tillman #23 and Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrate after beating the Ohio State Buckeyes 77-70 during the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at the United Center on March 15, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 15: Xavier Tillman #23 and Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrate after beating the Ohio State Buckeyes 77-70 during the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at the United Center on March 15, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next

It’s not easy to beat a team three times in one season, but Michigan State basketball did just that to advance to the Big Ten tourney semifinals.

Beating the same team three times in a single season has never been an easy task, especially when that opponent is a probable NCAA Tournament team, but Michigan State took down Ohio State yet again to improve to 26-6 and advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Saturday.

With the win, Tom Izzo earned No. 600 in his career and sits in second place among Big Ten coaches all time.

What did we learn from the Spartans’ 77-70 win over the Buckeyes to advance to yet another Big Ten Tournament semifinal?

5. Aaron Henry’s growth has been fantastic — and sudden

I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t think Aaron Henry would be anything more than a strong defender by the end of the season, especially since he looked like a walking turnover just two weeks ago. He’s proven me wrong.

The freshman wing has been more aggressive on the offensive end of the court over the past four games and he’s averaging a hair short of 10 points per game during that stretch, making a high percentage of his shots. Although he was just 4-for-10 on Friday against the Buckeyes, he wasn’t a liability on offense, recording zero turnovers.

Henry is playing with much more confidence and he’s not afraid to shoot the mid-range jumper or slash to the basket for an easy two. He’s tough to stay in front of as a defender and that usually causes help-side defense to collapse, leaving a player open somewhere on the floor.

The freshman’s ability to defend has sparked confidence on the other end of the floor.

Home/Spartans Basketball