Indianapolis — Michigan State was facing Ohio State for the third time in five games on Friday night, and getting past the Buckeyes for a third consecutive time didn’t seem like a simple prospect.
However, No. 2 Michigan State shook off some first-half shooting woes and pulled away in the second half to beat Ohio State, 81-54, in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Michigan State (27-5) advances to Saturday’s semifinals where it will face the winner of Friday’s late game between Maryland and Nebraska at 3:30 p.m.
Denzel Valentine was 6-for-15 from the field, but he still scored 19 points, grabbed nine rebounds and handed out eight assists to lead the Spartans.