Michigan State clinches share of Big Ten title with impressive win at Illinois

Statistics tell the story in some games. Memorable moments define others. And in a handful of rare contests, the brains of a bench boss tip the scales in one side's favor. Sunday afternoon in Champaign, with the Big Ten championship hanging in the balance, Tom Izzo reminded everyone in the Midwest why Michigan State has been the league's team of this decade.
 
Izzo's masterful coaching moves, executed faithfully by his razor-sharp players, enabled the Spartans to clinch a share of the Big Ten crown with a 74-66 win over Illinois in Assembly Hall. All MSU has to do to win the outright title is to knock off cellar-dwelling Indiana later this week in the other Assembly Hall. Why are the Spartans in such comfortable position, poised to win their first piece of Big Ten hardware since 2001? Clearly, their coach--one of the best in the business--has to stand at the top of the list, and this eight-point triumph offered unmistakable proof of Izzo's enduring excellence.
 
The final five minutes, which began with the Spartans and Illini locked in a 58-all tie, represented a coaching clinic of the highest order. Move after move, adjustment after adjustment, Izzo pushed the buttons that gave his players every chance to succeed. Unerring decisions allowed the visitors from East Lansing to flourish in the face of a deafening Orange Crush crowd that wanted Senior Day to end on a sweet note for Bruce Weber's bunch.

Izzo's first big move came around the four-minute mark, after the Spartans gained a 60-58 lead on a Kalin Lucas layup. Being in front on the scoreboard, Izzo saw a chance to insert rarely-used center Idong Ibok into the lineup, and offer a tall and muscular presence who could stand toe-to-toe with rangy Illinois big man Mike Tisdale. It was Tisdale--the bearer of a hard-to-block hook shot and a soft midrange jumper--who shot over the top of a less chiseled Goran Suton and a smaller Draymond Green to give the Illini a steady stream of second-half baskets that kept the home team competitive. But when Ibok came onto the floor, the clean looks ceased to come in Tisdale's direction. One coaching decision--plus the ability of Ibok to deliver the goods at the defensive end--did more than anything else to stifle the Fighting Illini down the stretch.
 
But Izzo's imprint would be felt in other ways as the final minutes ticked away.
 
With just over two minutes remaining, Izzo alertly called timeout from the bench to prevent a five-second closely-guarded count from being called on Lucas, who was being hounded by Illinois' Chester Frazier. Coming out of the timeout, one of Izzo's famed set plays unfolded exactly the way the Spartan mastermind drew it up in the huddle.
 
Lucas--who has been locked down by Big Ten opponents over the past few weeks--thrived in this contest (18 points on 50-percent field goal shooting) because Izzo wisely turned his point guard into a cutter. Instead of burdening Lucas with exclusive ballhandling responsibilities, Izzo allowed his offensive catalyst to run freely and make a number of backdoor cuts on high-low sets in which MSU's big men stood near the elbows as passers. One of these sets emerged in this late-game situation, following the timely timeout. Lucas received a pass in the middle of the lane and found a clear path to the hoop. When Tisdale came to help, it was too late; a foul sent Lucas to the line for two free throws, which were promptly swished for a 62-59 Spartan lead. Again, Izzo's moves helped MSU carve out a small but crucial bit of scoreboard leverage.

After the Spartans continued to defensively dominate Illinois, the guys in green pulled off two more brilliant possessions to increase their edge. One one halfcourt possession, Izzo wisely ordered his backcourt to run a weave, and thereby avoid a five-second call. The crisp ball rotation produced by the weave ultimately led to a Travis Walton left-baseline jumper near the end of the shot clock, and a 64-59 lead with only 1:11 remaining in regulation.
 
After Illinois used a pair of free throws to get the lead back to three at 64-61, the Spartans--up against full-court pressure--didn't miss a beat. Illinois had stolen a win over Northwestern because Weber smartly dialed up an all-court defense to shake the ball loose in backcourt. It was logical for Weber to do the same thing again, but unlike the wobbly Wildcats, the Spartans were prepared. Flawless tic-tac-toe passing out of doubleteams enabled Michigan State to get multiple dunks off the press. The ease with which Izzo's team carved up Weber's press allowed the Spartans to gain a 71-64 lead with just 26 seconds remaining. Illinois' final threes missed the mark, and a piece of Big Ten glory returned to East Lansing for the first time in eight years. The complete and unshared conference crown will be claimed by Sparty as long as Izzo can notch one more win against his beloved protege, Tom Crean, later this week.
 
It's strange: Michigan State is the only Big Ten program to make more than one Final Four this decade (Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio State all crashed the party once), and yet the Spartans hadn't won a Big Ten title since 2001. Well, the team of the decade is back where it belongs. Tom Izzo's performance against Illinois showed why that's the case.

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