CHICAGO-Once Cassius Winston and Kenny Goins powered Michigan State to a fast start, Wisconsin was in deep trouble.
Tough to chase down the Spartans in March.
Winston scored 21 points and Goins had 13 points and 12 rebounds, helping No. 6 Michigan State beat No. 19 Wisconsin 67-55 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Saturday.
Goins, Aaron Henry and Xavier Tillman led a dominant rebounding effort as the Spartans earned their seventh consecutive win in their series against the Badgers. Tillman finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, and Henry grabbed a career-high 11 boards to power Michigan State to a 44-30 advantage on the glass.
"All in all, a gritty performance by us," coach Tom Izzo said.
Winston shook out his left ankle a bit after he accidentally kicked Wisconsin guard Brad Davison with about 4 minutes left in the first half. But the Big Ten Player of the Year stayed in the game and showed no sign of trouble while going 9 for 17 from the field and passing for six assists.
Winston said he was fine, but Izzo made it sound as if it was tenuous for a bit.
"Cassius was on adrenaline, he's been on adrenaline for a while," Izzo said. "At halftime, I really didn't know what was going to happen. So adrenaline kicked in and it got him through parts of another half."
The top-seeded Spartans (27-6) earned their ninth win in 10 games and will go for their sixth Big Ten tourney title on Sunday against Michigan. The 10th-ranked Wolverines advanced with a 76-49 victory over Minnesota.
"Just another chance at a championship. That's what we play for here," Winston said. "That's what it's all about at Michigan State."
Wisconsin star Ethan Happ bounced back nicely from a shaky performance in the quarterfinals against Nebraska, finishing with 20 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Kobe King had 13 points, but the Badgers (23-10) shot just 35 percent from the field.
Nate Reuvers, who had 14 points in the victory over the Cornhuskers, was 0 for 7 from the field and failed to score. D'Mitrik Trice had seven points on 3-for-10 shooting before fouling out with about a minute left.
"For the most part, I think we got a lot of open looks," Trice said. "I thought we passed it around really well. It just didn't fall."
Especially at the beginning.
While the Badgers stumbled at the start, the 6-foot-7 Goins swished his first three 3-point attempts in the first 6 minutes of the game. Tillman made a foul shot and then converted a three-point play to give the Spartans a 27-10 lead with 7:42 left in the first half.
Wisconsin closed to 35-27 at the break, helped by a missed dunk by Goins in the final seconds. The Badgers challenged the Spartans at a few points down the stretch, but Winston and Goins had an answer every time.
After Happ's driving layup got Wisconsin within seven early in the second half, Goins found Tillman under the basket for a big jam. The Badgers closed to 47-41 on Khalil Iverson's three-point play before Winston converted a layup and Goins rattled home a 3-pointer to help run the lead back out to nine with 9:12 to go.
"We could never overcome the start and couldn't get back after they got hot at the beginning," coach Greg Gard said.
WATCHING WARD
Michigan State forward Nick Ward was hampered by foul trouble in his second game back after being sidelined by a broken left hand. He finished with two points and three rebounds in a little less than 11 minutes.
"I'm pleased where Nick is coming," Izzo said. "I really was hoping to play him 16, 18 minutes today. But he'll get his chance. We have another game to play."
BIG PICTURE
Wisconsin: Happ looked like his usual self, but the Badgers were shut out for more than seven minutes during one key stretch in the second half. They also managed just three fast-break points.
Michigan State: Izzo lamented Michigan State's 15 turnovers and worried about his substitution patterns, but there was a lot to like, too. The Spartans had 18 assists on 23 baskets.
UP NEXT
Wisconsin: Heads home to figure out where it's going for the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan State: Tries for a third win against Michigan this season. The Spartans beat the Wolverines 77-70 on Feb. 24 and 75-63 last Saturday.
No. 10 Michigan 76, Minnesota 49
CHICAGO-No. 10 Michigan had just buried Minnesota when the focus shifted to the opportunity at hand.
The Wolverines didn't just earn a shot at a record third straight Big Ten Tournament championship. They put themselves in position to get some payback against their archrival.
Isaiah Livers scored a career-high 21 points, and Michigan set up a Big Ten title game against No. 6 Michigan State with a 76-49 romp over Minnesota in the semifinals on Saturday.
The third-seeded Wolverines (28-5) took control with a big run in the first half and put the game away in the second. On Sunday, they will go for their first win in three tries this season over the Spartans, who beat Wisconsin 67-55 in the other semifinal.
"I'm so excited to get this opportunity again," Ignas Brazdeikas said. "We've got to embrace this opportunity, because we might not get it again. We might not play them again. We've got to get our revenge."
Michigan blew a chance to win the regular-season title by losing to its rival twice in the final four games. Michigan State wound up with the top seed in the conference tournament.
They're set to meet again, with the Spartans trying to extend a record by winning their sixth championship and Michigan also trying to do something no other Big Ten team has done.
"We have to embrace it," coach John Beilein said. "Michigan State is not going away as being a force in the Big Ten. Michigan is not going away as a force in the Big Ten. And as a result, you have two great programs that have both been to Final Fours the last 10 years. It's a great venue right now, with two really storied programs going at it. There were times in the '60s and '70s and '80s that weren't like that. Now, to be right there, it feels really good that we've accomplished that. I think they feel the same way, that they are competing with a great program like Michigan every day and it's great for everybody."
Beating Michigan State almost certainly won't be easy. Getting past Minnesota, however, was a breeze .
Livers matched a personal best by nailing four 3-pointers. Zavier Simpson added 15 points and nine assists, helping Michigan win its 10th straight Big Ten Tournament game - the conference's longest such streak.
Amir Coffey led Minnesota (21-13) with 14 points. But after squeezing out tight victories over Penn State and No. 13 Purdue to reach the semifinals for the second time in three years, the Gophers were simply overmatched.
"I think we made a good run," Minnesota's Jordan Murphy said. "Obviously, this is something we can take away from and have positive momentum going into the (NCAA) Tournament. We'll see where we're at tomorrow and just make sure that our guys are confident and make sure we keep our heads up."
BIG RUN
The game was tied at 13 midway through the first half before the Wolverines broke it open with an 18-2 run, holding Minnesota scoreless for nearly six minutes.
Livers drove the baseline for a two-handed dunk and Simpson finished it with a 3, making it 31-15 with 3:34 left.
After Murphy scored in the paint to end the drought for Minnesota, Jon Teske buried a 3 for Michigan that hit the flat part of the back of the rim. And Simpson went nearly the length of the court for a buzzer-beating layup off a miss by Coffey, making it 38-19.
Michigan put the game away in the second half with a 9-0 run that made it 56-30 with about 14 minutes left.
BIG PICTURE
Minnesota: The Gophers put themselves on more solid ground for the NCAA Tournament with two conference tournament victories.
Michigan: Besides getting some payback against Michigan State, a conference tournament championship would also be a nice prize before the Wolverines set their sights on another deep NCAA run. Michigan lost to Villanova in the national championship game last season.
UP NEXT
Minnesota: Awaits a postseason invitation.
Michigan: Faces Michigan State on Sunday.
No. 24 Cincinnati 66, WIchita State 63
MEMPHIS, Tenn.-Nysier Brooks scored 13 points and Cane Broome hit the go-ahead layup with 23.5 seconds left to give No. 24 Cincinnati a 66-63 victory over Wichita State in Saturday's semifinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament.
Tre Scott had 12 points and eight rebounds, Jarron Cumberland, the conference player of the year was limited to 11 points going 3 of 16 from the field.
Markis McDuffie had 18 for the Shockers (19-14), the tournament's No. 6 seed, while Samajae Haynes-Jones had 17, despite missing six of his seven 3-point attempts.
Cincinnati (27-6), the tournament's No. 2 seed, will face No. 11 Houston in Sunday's championship game. The Cougars defeated Memphis 61-58 in the first semifinal game on Saturday
The teams were tied at 63 after Wichita State's Jaime Echenique split a pair of free throws with 46.7 seconds left.
On the ensuing Cincinnati possession Broome got to the rim for a layup and a Bearcat lead of 65-63 with 23.5 second left.
Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall called timeout to set up a play. McDuffie drove on Cincinnati's Keith Williams, but missed in close. The Bearcats grabbed the rebound and Cumberland split a pair of free throws for the final margin.
Cincinnati held a 60-53 lead with 5:20 left when the Shockers went on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 62 with 3:08 left on a drive by Haynes-Jones
BIG PICTURE
Wichita State: The Shockers entered the game having won six straight, including beating No. 3 seed Temple on Friday night. Despite trailing by seven - 62-55 with 4:44 left - the Shockers made seven of their next eight shots and put together a 9-2 run to deadlock the game. But Broome's layup kept the Shockers from extending their winning streak.
Cincinnati: Cumberland struggled throughout the game, and dealt with foul trouble in the second half. But while he was out, the Bearcats were able to extend their lead. That was significant in providing a buffer as Wichita State made its comeback.
UP NEXT
Wichita State: Waits to see if they get a postseason invitation.
Cincinnati: Faces top-seed Houston in Sunday's title game.