Spartans prevail, but Michigan crumbles in Big Ten semifinals

Draymond Green finished with 14 points & 16 rebounds and Austin Thornton scored all 12 of his points on 3-pointers as they lead the #1 Michigan State Spartans past the #4 Wisconsin Badgers, 65-52 in the semifinals of the 2012 Big Ten Tournament. With the win, MSU moves into their first conference title game since 2000.

Green also had five assists and three blocks. He moved into second place on the school's career rebounding list, too, with 1,046, which is 10 more than Johnny Green.




In an effort to have an in-state rivalry game for the conference championship, the #2 Michigan Wolverines had their hopes destroyed by their long-time rival #3 Ohio State, 77-55, in the other Big Ten semifinal game inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. It marks the second straight year the Buckeyes have defeated the Wolverines in the conference semis. OSU also eliminated U-M in the quarterfinals in 2010.

Michigan shot just 30.9% (17-for-55) from the field, compared to the Buckeyes, who converted 49.2% (31-for-61) of their shots. Sophomore guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and senior guard Zack Novak recorded double-digit scoring efforts for the Wolverines with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

With a 24-9 record, there's still a good chance that the Wolverines will enter the 2012 NCAA Tournament. They will find out this Sunday at 6 pm if they're in.