Update: As it turns out, Tom Izzo was joking about Evan Turner's shot to beat Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament in 2010, which makes this breakdown of Ohio State and Michigan State games look silly. Izzo 1, Overly Literal Blogger 0.
Ohio State lost a close game to Michigan State on Saturday, falling 59-56 at the Breslin Center. During his post-game press conference, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo claimed that he had some help from one of Ohio State's attendees: Evan Turner.
Turner was behind the Ohio State bench, giving the Buckeyes some moral support rather than attend NBA All-Star Weekend. Near the end of the game, after Denzel Valentine hit the game-winner for the Spartans, Izzo claimed that a previous game with Turner helped him to set up for Ohio State's final possession, which ended in a turnover.
It may have been a joke, but Izzo has his history a little off: Michigan State and Ohio State played seven times between 2008 and 2010, with the Spartans winning the series 4-3, but the closest game was decided by six points (a 66-60 MSU win) and none went to overtime.
So no, Evan Turner didn't beat Michigan State at the Breslin Center with a long shot, but it makes for a fun story. Now, William Buford, on the other hand...
ET spending the All-Star break with #Buckeyes at Michigan State. And ... Anthony Lee not in uniform today. #buckbk pic.twitter.com/oKZnQoBqAF
— Bob Baptist (@BBaptistHoops) February 14, 2015
