Ohio State Edges Michigan State to Create Tie for First Place EAST LANSING, Mich. - The actions seemed at odds with the emotions on Sunday, as Michigan State's basketball team somberly celebrated raising a Big Ten championship banner to the Breslin Center's rafters. The postgame ceremony was muted, marked by Spartans players with blank stares and no smiles. Coach Tom Izzo looked drained, grayish bags under his eyes and his voice hoarse, as he thanked the crowd for its support. Michigan State's planned celebration turned into a reminder of what was lost, not an outright title gained, as Ohio State won, 72-70, on a last-second shot by the senior guard William Buford. His 20-foot jumper, coming off a screen with 0.8 of a second left, helped Ohio State join the Spartans and Michigan in a tie for the Big Ten regular-season title. Michigan gained its share by defeating Penn State on Sunday and with the Ohio State victory. It is the first Big Ten title for the Wolverines since the 1985-86 season. "I almost feel like apologizing for not winning the Big Ten title outright," Izzo told the crowd during the ceremony. We're going to go to the Big Ten tournament and we're going to win our title back. Michigan State (24-7, 13-5) will be the top seed in the conference tournament, which starts Thursday in Indianapolis, with Michigan (23-8, 13-5) second and Ohio State (25-6, 13-5) third. "We love March; it didn't start great, but it has 31 days and that's the Final Four," Spartans forward Draymond Green said. While Michigan State lamented opportunity lost, Ohio State relished winning a share of its third straight conference title. The Buckeyes proudly donned their Big Ten championship hats. "My teammates had faith in me and I had the chance to knock it down," Buford, Ohio State's lone senior, said about the winning shot. This feels great. We came and did what we wanted to do. We've got our piece of the championship. Buford, who was not a factor in Ohio State's 58-48 home loss to Michigan State on Feb. 11, had a game-high 29 points. He had been inconsistent on offense, but this time he was the spark that helped end Michigan State's 18-game home winning streak. "You don't have to like Will Buford - we do, and we trust him with that shot every time," Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger said. The game was an emotional roller coaster, with No. 5 Michigan State coming out aggressively. The Spartans jumped out to a 22-9 lead, powered by aggressive defense, superior transition speed and clutch shooting. Sullinger, a sophomore who came into the game shooting 52.5 percent against Big Ten teams, found little room to operate. He was doubled-teamed, and sometimes tripled-teamed, with Michigan State's defense collapsing on him every time he tried to penetrate. He finished with 14 points. But Michigan State's intensity, and that of the frenzied crowd, changed midway through the first half when freshman guard Branden Dawson went down with an apparent injury to his left knee after becoming tangled in a rebounding scrum in Ohio State's end. He was helped off the court, the crowd went silent, and he did not return. Ohio State started finding its footing, and despite shooting 25 percent in the first half, managed to whittle the Michigan State lead to 9 by halftime. The comeback continued in the second half, with Buford, guard Aaron Craft and the reserve Evan Ravenel making the difference. Buford was especially tough on Michigan State, shooting 7 for 10 in the second half. Michigan State became bogged down with foul issues, and the shots that seemed so open in the first half were disappearing in the second. Ohio State took a 51-50 lead, its first since the opening minute, at 9 minutes 53 seconds. After that, the game stayed within 3 points. Michigan State jumped out to its last lead, 70-68, with 1:08 left after two free throws by Green. Craft tied the game nearly 10 seconds later, setting up the tense finish. Green missed a jumper with 34 seconds remaining, giving Ohio State a final possession. "I don't know how we all did this, but I know that we never stopped believing in ourselves and what we can do," said Craft, who had 9 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. We've believed in ourselves all season this way.