East Lansing — A banner was raised to the rafters of the Breslin Center on Tuesday night, but it’s hardly the end game for Michigan State.
The second-ranked Spartans capped another emotional night on their home court, celebrating senior night with Tum Tum Nairn, Gavin Schilling and Ben Carter by knocking off Illinois, 81-61, to clinch a share of their first Big Ten championship since 2012.
But that was just one thing checked off the list. Getting coach Tom Izzo his eighth conference championship was just the first step. As the players said, one by one after the game, the Big Ten tournament is next and the national championship after that.