ANALYSIS: Late errors, foul trouble yield Michigan State loss to Wisconsin in BTT Semis

In a game that was part rock fight, part skill show and part classic, Michigan State dropped a 77-74 decision to No. 18 Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals, Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.  The No. 7-ranked Spartans saw their eight-game win streak and a charmed first half of the month of March come to an end, as Michigan State couldn’t overcome foul trouble and 32 points from John Tonje. Michigan State fell to 27-6 overall. Wisconsin improved to 26-8. Jeremy Fears loaded up for a desperation 3-pointer as he crossed the halfcourt line, after Tonje had missed a pair of a free throws. Tonje reached in and strip-blocked Fears’ shot as Fears brought the ball across his belt line to go up with a 3-pointer from just beyond the halfcourt line with :03 seconds left. Fears and his Spartan teammates wanted a foul call. Tom Izzo didn’t complain. TV replays showed that Tonje got mostly ball, if not all ball.  Even if the officials had called a foul, would Fears have hit all three free throws? Would Michigan State have prevented Wisconsin from scoring in the final :02 or :03 seconds? From there, would Michigan State have been able to prevail in overtime?  In the end, Wisconsin executed well enough late in the game, and Michigan State did not. Three missed foul shots by the Badgers in the final minute opened the door for potential heroics from Fears, but Tonje shut it down.