Wisconsin vs. Michigan State: Score and Reaction for Big Ten Championship 2015

It seemed only fitting that the final game before the 2015 NCAA tournament would go to overtime. And while Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans, always so dangerous in March, fought tooth and nail for the Big Ten tournament title, the Wisconsin Badgers came away with an overtime victory, 80-69.    

Needing to overcome an 11-point second-half deficit, Nigel Hayes (25 points, five rebounds), Frank Kaminsky (19 points, five rebounds) and Bronson Koenig (18 points, nine assists) led the Badgers on the comeback trail before Wisconsin held Michigan State scoreless in the overtime session. Wisconsin's shooting from beyond the arc (13-of-26) was a huge factor down the stretch.

After the game, Koenig spoke about his team's resilience, per Jesse Temple of Fox Sports Wisconsin:

Branden Dawson (16 points, seven rebounds) and Denzel Valentine (16 points, eight rebounds) paced the Spartans, who now join an exclusive club they probably would have preferred to avoid, per ESPN Stats & Information:

While Michigan State despaired, Wisconsin had fun celebrating, including Kaminsky's nod to Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, per Nicole Auerbach of USA Today:

The first half was a tight affair, featuring five lead changes and four ties. Michigan State did a pretty solid job keeping Kaminsky contained early on, though, Wisconsin's leading man still posted seven points and four rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.

Hayes and Duje Dukan (eight points apiece) led the Badgers in the first half, while Dawson (eight points) led the Spartans to a 32-31 lead heading into the locker room.

After a few more lead changes, Michigan State started to really buzz, opening up a 57-46 lead with seven minutes, 44 seconds remaining. The Spartans were sprinting to loose balls, scoring buckets in transition and winning the battle on the boards. As Ian Kenyon of Bleacher Report noted, the Badgers seemed to be struggling with Michigan State's energy:

But Wisconsin found a second wind, promptly going on an 14-2 run to re-take the lead by a point with just over four minutes remaining. A Travis Trice three gave Michigan State the lead right back at 62-60 before Hayes hit two free throws to tie the game with 3:25 remaining, setting the stage for a crazy finish.

And crazy it was. 

After a Matt Costello layup gave Michigan State the lead back, Kaminsky scored five straight points for Wisconsin, including a clutch three. But Valentine wasn't to be outdone by Wisconsin's star, hitting an improbable, fadeaway three in Kaminsky's face the next time down the court that left Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel quite impressed:

A Trice floater gave Michigan State the lead, though, Koenig hit two free throws with just 15 seconds remaining after a crazy scramble on a loose ball to tie the game at 69 points apiece. Dawson had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, though, a hustling Kaminsky was able to contest the shot, and Dawson hit the front rim, sending the game to overtime.

But Wisconsin, clearly riding the momentum from its second-half comeback, owned the overtime session, outscoring Michigan State, 11-0, behind clutch three-pointers from Hayes and Koenig. The victory helped them clinch a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

USA TODAY Sports

Michigan State finished their season with a bang, beating Purdue, Indiana, Ohio State and Maryland and nearly knocking off Wisconsin in their last five games. The Spartans finished the season 2-5 in games that went to overtime, a mark that they'll likely lament as having cost them a better seed in the NCAA tournament, as they are a No. 7 seed.

Still, given Michigan State's strong close to the season and Izzo's history of getting the most from his team in March, the Spartans won't be an enjoyable draw in the Big Dance.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, heads into the tourney as one of the favorites as the entire field looks up to unbeaten Kentucky. Kaminsky and Co. certainly showed that they have a fighting spirit to go along with their immense talent on Sunday.