Saturday night was everything that Michigan State basketball fans have wanted for years: a great non-conference home game in November. It had been a while since the Spartans hosted a top-15 opponent in non-conference play, but Tom Izzo and John Calipari changed that on Saturday.
Michigan State was able to hold on in a thrilling defensive showdown, 69-66.
The Spartans got off to a solid start, but fizzled out right before halftime, trailing by three at the break. The second half was almost all Michigan State. The Spartans stormed back, took a lead, and essentially never looked back, even building a lead as large as eight late in the second half.