Denzel Valentine then missed a long three and the Badgers got out with a 77-76 stunner.
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Wisconsin (10-9, 2-4) is missing plenty of stars from last season’s national runner-up, but the two returning key players from that team killed MSU.
Florida State (12-5, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) also snapped a five-game losing streak against the Cavaliers while also improving its home record to 6-1 this season. “The last 20 seconds were really exhilarating”, Wisconsin interim coach Greg Gard said on CBS.
The Badgers played with grit and determination, as they had in so many other close losses. Nigel Hayes, magnificent from the opening minute, added 25 points and seven rebounds.
Michigan State and Wisconsin will tip-off at 1:30PM ET today and according to oddsmakers from online sports book RealBet.eu, the Spartans are 6.5-point road favorites. Center Matt Costello also dominated the paint, finishing with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Eron Harris added 14 points but stepped out of bounds with 22.7 seconds left after being trapped by Happ and Khalil Iverson. Matt McQuaid started for Nairn, with fellow freshmen Harris and Deyonta Davis replacing Bryn Forbes and Gavin Schilling, who had started the previous four games.
For the Spartans, Valentine finished with a team-high 23 points despite not scoring his first basket of the game until there was just over six minutes left in the first half.
Michigan State: Izzo shook up the starting lineup after Thursday’s 76-59 loss to Iowa and point guard Tum Tum Nairn out with a foot injury.
VERMONT 83, HARTFORD 68 WEST HARTFORD, Conn. Ethan ODay scored 24 points on 10-for-13 shooting with 10 rebounds as Vermont pulled away from Hartford to win 83-68 on Saturday.
With ten seconds remaining on the clock, Happ’s layup turned out to be the winning goal for the Badgers of Wisconsin.
Clark and Taylor split a pair of matches in 2015, but Clark grabbed a 2-0 lead after one period and used an escape early in the second period to take control of the match. It would have been Spartans ball up four had the foul not been called, but instead Vitto Brown went to the foul line and sliced Wisconsin’s deficit to two with 2:10 to play.
Happ leads the Big Ten with six double-doubles this season.
Oregon State sprinted out to an 11-2 lead in the first half and pushed it to 21-8 thanks to three baskets apiece from Malcolm Duvivier and Stephen Thompson Jr. The Wolverines slip to 13-5 and 3-2 in the conference.
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The Badgers were led by 15 points from Koenig and 12 points and five rebounds from Hayes. Michigan State is looking to again capitalize on a favorable matchup in its own attempt at a recovery. She had missed one of two free throws moments before allowing the Aggies a chance to tie. Koenig hit a 3-pointer with Valentine in his face and the shot clock winding down to pull Wisconsin within 76-75 with 27 seconds left.
