Loss to Michigan State Spartans, season-high 10 turnovers could have cost Ohio State Buckeyes' Jared Sullinger Big Ten POTY honors

 By Adam Biggers
@AdamBiggers81

A potential conference player of the year doesn't lay an egg during one of the biggest games of the season, right?

Someone should have told the then third-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes' star phenom Jared Sullinger that Sunday during his team's 58-48 home loss to then 12th-ranked Michigan State Spartans.

The loss didn't just even the Spartans with the Buckeyes in the Big Ten title race at 9-3. It didn't just snap the Buckeyes' 39-game home winning streak at Value City Arena, either. No, the loss most likely cost Sullinger, a 6-foot-9, 265-pound power forward the Big Ten Player of the Year honors and all but took him out of the chase for national honors, as well.

Sullinger was rendered virtually useless Sunday, shooting a season-worst 5-for-15 from the field while committing a season-high 10 turnovers—more cough-ups than his previous five games combined (nine). The Spartans, who were led defensively by junior Derrick Nix and sophomore Adreian Payne, figured out how to cap Sullinger. Michigan State's guards took advantage of Nix and Payne's forceful defense which pushed Sullinger low and created plenty of opportunities for them to make a clean swipe of the ball.

Entering Sunday, Sullinger had posted an impressive resume, highlighted by averages of 17 points and nine rebounds per game. Sprinkle in his 21 games this season with 20 or more points, along with 10 double-doubles, and Sullinger's bid for Big Ten Player of the Year was seemingly secure, even more so than Spartans senior Draymond Green's.

While Sullinger didn't receive much help from teammates Sunday, he managed 17 points and 16 rebounds. However, the points and rebounds were negated by poor passes and strips, which accounted for seven of his 10 turnovers.

Meanwhile, Green, Sullinger's closest competition in the conference player of the year race, had a game which likely leapfrogged him into POTY-front runner status, although his 12 points and nine rebounds were far from season-bests.

Green, who was fresh off a 23-point, 12-rebound showing in the Spartans' 77-57 victory over Penn State just days earlier, played like a hungry senior who knew what was on the line—and that was a shot at the Big Ten championship. Never mind POTY honors, Green probably wanted the win and nothing else. It was just a bonus that he offered 34 productive minutes in the process. But a win surely didn't hurt his cause, either.

As Sullinger had, Green had an impressive resume entering Sunday's clash of the Big Ten titans with 13 double-doubles, averages of 15 points and 10 rebounds per game, along with 20 games with 20 or more points. But, unlike Sullinger, Green's team emerged triumphant, which, at least for the moment, vaulted him onto the perch that Sullinger claimed prior to the Buckeyes' loss to Michigan State.

Michigan State Spartans 'Nix' Sully and the Ohio State Buckeyes

By Adam Biggers
@AdamBiggers81

Michigan State junior center Derrick Nix was justifiably excited Saturday night after his team's 58-48 win over the third-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena in Columbus.

The Spartans' much-improved big man took to Twitter after the win, most likely referencing the victory with a Tweet of "R.I.P to da competition."

With the win, the 12th-ranked Spartans not only halted Ohio State's 39-game home winning streak (lost six of last eight at home to MSU), but they also evened the Big Ten standings, with both teams gridlocked at 9-3 for first place in the conference.

It's looking all the more likely that Spartans-Buckeyes duel March 4 in East Lansing will settle the Big Ten race, which, this season, has been one of the most competitive of any in the nation.

Nix's performance, along with strong individual efforts from senior Draymond Green and sophomore Adreian Payne, showed that the Spartans are once again a gritty, physical team. And those types of teams directed by 17-year veteran coach Tom Izzo are incredibly dangerous—especially in March, which is quickly approaching.

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Put the Nix on Sully

Nix finished with a bench-high six points in 19 minutes, with four of those points coming in the second half after nimble moves past Buckeyes star Jared Sullinger, who had 10 turnovers Saturday.
While Sullinger had a team-high 17 points, he shot just 5-for-15 from the field, and the majority of his opportunities in the paint were heavily contested by Nix, Payne and Green.

Double-doubles are great, but Payne stole the show

Green tallied his 14th double-double of the season, further showing that he should be considered one of the top two players—if not the top player—in the Big Ten. However, as impressive as Green was Saturday, Payne stole the show with a seemingly new-found aggressive style.

Spectators have long awaited for Payne's physical side to come out. He's shown it sporadically throughout his two years in East Lansing, but Saturday was proof positive that Payne is capable of being a fiery player.
Averaging about seven points per game this season, Payne scored 11 of his season-high 17 in the first half.

Four of Payne's six rebounds were on the offensive glass, which complemented his season-high four assists and two steals. If the sophomore continues to play like he did Saturday, the Spartans should flourish with the ability to rely on him to attack the basket.

Appling of Izzo's eye

Late in the second half, Ohio State surged with a 6-0 run, cutting Michigan State's once 10-point lead to just 44-40. The Spartans couldn't sink a bucket for close to five minutes, going 0-for-6 in that stretch and committing three turnovers.

But then Izzo called a timeout. He looked to star sophomore guard Keith Appling, who helped the Spartans rattle off an 11-3 run and eventually close the door on the Buckeyes.

Appling's speed and finesse have been key ingredients to the Spartans' success. However, his free-throw shooting has been helpful, too, evidenced by his 5-for-6 showing at the line Saturday. Four of those five makes came as the Spartans rallied, showing that Appling, who scored 14 points in the win, can get to the line—and make his shots—when Izzo needs a run stopped.

Follow Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81