Sunday was a special day for Michigan State basketball. Not only did it win its fifth straight Quad 1 game, its fourth straight ranked game, and its second straight at home, but it moved into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten standings.
The Spartans took No. 11 Wisconsin down, 71-62, to improved to 24-5 overall and 15-3 in the Big Ten with just two games remaining. Unless the Spartans lose out, they're going to win at least a share of the Big Ten title. They have handled their business in five straight games and we should give them the benefit of the doubt and just assume that will carry on into the final two regular-season games.
There were some impressive numbers that led to Michigan State's latest win and these three really stood out to me.
1. Jaxon Kohler's 16 rebounds
This one really stood out to me because not only was this a career-high for Jaxon Kohler, but it came less than 24 hours after Michigan State fans watched as Mady Sissoko grabbed 15 rebounds in a Cal win which was his career-best. It had to ease the "are our bigs good enough?" concern from Spartan fans.
Anything that clanked off the rim seemed to drop into Kohler's lap (not really, he worked hard for each one, but you get what I mean).
Hopefully this elite rebounding continues.
2. Wisconsin's 5-for-32 shooting from deep
Wisconsin was one of the best shooting teams in the Big Ten heading into Sunday's battle and the Spartans forced one of its worst offensive games of the season.
In fact, Wisconsin scored just 62 points and the usual-36 percent 3-point shooting team made just five shots from long range on 32 attempts. That's right, Wisconsin shot just 5-for-32 (15.6%) from deep which just goes to further prove that Michigan State has the best 3-point defense in the conference. Yes, there were a couple of open shots, but Michigan State shut down the perimeter as Wisconsin was throwing up a lot of prayers.
3. MSU's 20 assists on 28 made field goals
Michigan State ranks 18th in the country, averaging 17.2 assists per game and its 20 on Sunday were not only impressive, but the efficiency of them were elite.
The Spartans made 28 field goals and 20 of them came on assists which is a heck of a ratio. They just continue to prove that they are one of the best passing teams in college basketball and also one of the most unselfish. Even the team's top scorer right now (Jase Richardson) was making plays for his teammates throughout the game instead of hunting his own shot.
Michigan State is the definition of unselfish and this proved it.