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For more on the Michigan State Spartans, go to The Only Colors.
The Michigan State Spartans are rising up the rankings, coming in at No. 6 in the latest Coaches Poll and riding a five-game winning streak, which includes wins over the then-No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes and then-No. 17 Wisconsin Badgers. They last outing was a solid win over the Purdue Boilermakers on Feb. 19 and with four games left before the madness begins, they can't afford to falter.
Their remaining schedule contains matchups with OSU, Indiana and Nebraska. They're also got the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and they're up next, with a showdown on Wednesday. While it's potentially the easiest game remaining on their schedule, the Spartans need to make sure they don't let up. Minnesota has lost three-straight games, but they've been competitive in all of them. They took Wisconsin to overtime and made their game against Ohio State interesting.
Minnesota has a very tough schedule to close out their season, and they'll be playing as hard as ever to pick up wins where it counts. Michigan State will need to make sure they don't let up, but it's not likely they would, given the play of Draymond Green. MSU is going for their sixth consecutive regular-season sweep of Minnesota in this game.
Michigan State will next play on Feb. 25 against Nebraska. First, they've got this matchup at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
For more on the Michigan State Spartans, go to The Only Colors. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Basketball hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Basketball.
Michigan State Vs. Minnesota Final Score: Spartans Rally Late For Sixth Straight Win
The Minnesota Golden Gophers led throughout most of the second half, but a 3:25 scoring drought in the closing minutes of the game allowed the Michigan State Spartans to eek out a 66-61 win on the road. The Gophers committed four turnovers during their rough patch, during what had been an otherwise efficient night.
Minnesota shot 45.7 percent from the field and 14-for-15 from the free throw line, but perhaps more impressively they outrebounded a squad that averages nearly 40 boards per game, 31-22, on Wednesday night. Draymond Green started hot for the Spartans, going 4-for-6 from behind the 3-point arc in the first half. He was held to just 1-for-8 from the floor in the second half, however, but still managed 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
Turnovers were the biggest culprit in the Gophers loss. After turning the ball over just three times in the first half, they handed the ball back 12 times in the second. Julian Welch seemed to handle the pressure well in the first half, but broke down some in the second. He still finished with 10 points and eight assists, however. Austin Hollins led the way with 17 points, going 4-for-6 from behind the arc.
The loss was a devastating one for the Gophers, who now find themselves slipping off the NCAA Tournament bubble at 17-11 and in search of another signature win. The Spartans have now won six in a row, making a strong case for a No. 1 seed.
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For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. For all news and information on the Michigan State Spartans, check out The Only Colors or SB Nation Detroit. You can also learn more about college basketball around the nation at SB Nation's College Basketball hub.
Feb 23 12:03a by Louis Bien