Columbus, Ohio • Tom Izzo is not a coach who likes to take his foot off the gas pedal.
But he did, and as a result, 11th-ranked Michigan State had more fuel in the tank.
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Adreian Payne scored 15 points, Draymond Green had 12 — and a critical talk with the coach — and the defense-minded Spartans beat No. 3 Ohio State 58-48 Saturday night, ending the Buckeyes’ 39-game home winning streak.
"I told him the most important thing for us is going to be energy, trying to keep our energy level high," Green said of his conversation before Friday’s workout. "Pretty much everything was just a walkthrough, knowing your assignments. That was really key for us."
Izzo admitted giving the Spartans a light practice the day before a major showdown was "something I never do."
"I knew we were just dragging because we had gone, like, 11 straight days," he said. "I listened to my players. Draymond Green took care of [talking to his teammates] and it was just a focused walkthrough. Those kinds of things, they don’t come up on the stat sheet. Nobody understands. But that’s what leadership and togetherness is all about."
The Spartans (20-5, 9-3 Big Ten) pulled into a tie with the Buckeyes (21-4, 9-3) for first place in the conference by playing a withering, physical defense. Ohio State hit just 26 percent of its shots from the field (14 of 53).
No. 4 Missouri 72, No. 6 Baylor 57 • At Columbia, Mo., Phil Pressey scored 19 points, making four of Missouri’s season-best 14 3-pointers.
Sixth man Michael Dixon also had four 3-pointers and Marcus Denmon added three for Missouri (23-2, 10-2 Big 12), which shot 50 percent from long range.
Tennessee 75, No. 8 Florida 70 • At Gainesville, Fla., Trae Golden scored 17 points, Jeronne Maymon added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Tennessee ended Florida’s home-winning streak at 19.
Coming off a 20-point loss at top-ranked Kentucky and wearing gray uniforms to commemorate the program’s back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007, Florida trailed by double digits early and never mustered anything resembling a comeback.
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