Buckeyes can't stop Spartans' perimeter game

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/06/2009 - East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kalin Lucas scored 20 points and Raymar Morgan notched a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, as eighth- ranked Michigan State disposed of Big Ten compatriot Ohio State, 67-58, at the Breslin Center.

Goran Suton chipped in with nine points and nine rebounds for the Spartans (12-2, 3-0 Big Ten), who won for the eighth straight game.

William Buford led Ohio State (10-3, 1-2) with 17 points, B.J. Mullens added some inside clout with 16 points and Evan Turner donated 14 points and 10 rebounds. Ohio State has dropped three of four after starting the campaign with a 9-0 mark.

The Spartans went over four minutes without a field goal in the first half before flooding the Buckeyes with a barrage of three-point connections. A Lucas trey off dribble penetration by Suton handed the home-standing Spartans a 23-20 edge. Lucas connected one more time from long distance and Morgan added a three-point try. Morgan's bucket inside the arch capped a 12-0 bonanza for a 31-20 lead.

Michigan State used the collective hot hand to seize a 35-24 advantage after 20 minutes of play.

A Suton three and a Delvin Roe jumper right out of the locker room pushed the Spartans out to a 40-24 lead.

Mullens' slam brought the Buckeyes within 55-47, and they had several opportunities to cut the deficit even further -- but as one of the game's major storylines, Ohio State just couldn't put the ball in the basket.

Michigan State finally put five straight points on the scoreboard capped by Suton's mid-range jumper for a 60-47 lead with just over 5 1/2 minutes on the clock.

The Spartans rolled to victory from there.

Game Notes

The Spartans hit eight three-pointers, while the Buckeyes connected on just 4- of-16 from beyond the arc...Ohio State also attempted less free throws (13) than Michigan State made (17)...Michigan State leads the all-time series 62-50.

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.