Balanced Michigan State Grabs Narrow Win vs. Ohio State Without Joshua Langford

The No. 8 Michigan State Spartans defeated the No. 14 Ohio State Buckeyes 86-77 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday to remain undefeated in Big Ten play.

MSU improved to 13-2 overall on the season, while OSU fell to 12-2.

Junior guard Cassius Winston led the way for Michigan State, as he registered 25 points and five assists with just two turnovers in the winning effort. Junior forward Nick Ward also put up big numbers for the Spartans with 21 points and seven rebounds.

Although they fell short, the Buckeyes got a strong performance out of sophomore forward Kaleb Wesson, who finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in the rivalry game.

Michigan State entered the game short-handed, as it was without third-leading scorer Joshua Langford, who missed his second consecutive contest with an ankle injury.

The Spartans came out of the gates hot and led by as many as five in the first half even without Langford, but OSU took control in the latter stages of the opening half.

Duane Washington Jr. drilled a trifecta with 1:48 remaining in the half to give the Buckeyes a seven-point lead at home:

Kyle Ahrens answered later with a three for Michigan State, but Ohio State entered the locker room with a seven-point advantage when Wesson made a three 15 seconds before halftime.

The break seemed to help the Spartans, as they regrouped and manage to take back the lead just over five minutes into the second half. The level of play elevated significantly over the final seven minutes of regulation, beginning with Kyle Young's follow-up dunk to tie the score at 66:

On the ensuing possession, however, the combination of Winston and Ward converted a beautiful passing exhibition into a three-point play:

The Buckeyes came back to hold a 72-71 lead with under five minutes remaining, but MSU went on an 8-0 run and built up a lead that proved to be insurmountable.

Wesson also fouled out for Ohio State with 1:52 remaining, so the Buckeyes were without their best player at the most important point of the game.

Strong Play Without Langford Bodes Well for National Title Hopes

Even though the Spartans were without one of their best players Saturday, they still came through with a statement win on the road against one of their biggest rivals.

Langford is averaging 15 points per game this season, and it isn't easy to replace that type of production.

The Spartans did it with ease in an 81-55 blowout of Northwestern in their previous game, and multiple players stepped up to fill the void against Ohio State. In addition to both Ward and Winston performing even better than usual, Matt McQuaid, Ahrens and Xavier Tillman played a big role in the win and combined for 29 points.

The strong play of the supporting cast is a good sign for MSU since it isn't clear when Langford will be back.

As seen in the following photo courtesy of MLive's Kyle Austin, Langford was sporting a walking boot during Saturday's warm-ups:

Per Brendan F. Quinn of The Athletic, there was some good news as it relates to Langford since it was found that he doesn't have a high ankle sprain:

Even so, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo suggested Langford is still in line to miss some additional time, per Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press:

The Spartans essentially have a Big Three with Winston, Ward and Langford when they are all healthy, but they had to be more resourceful and creative with Langford out.

Playing without a performer of Langford's caliber isn't ideal, but it may prove to be a blessing in disguise for Michigan State.

With the likes of McQuaid, Ahrens, Tillman and others being asked to step up in Langford's absence, they will be willing and able to play a bigger role even when he does return.

Depth is a huge factor when it comes to making a run in the NCAA tournament, and it looks like Izzo has an experienced team with no shortage of depth this season.

Wesson Needs More Support for OSU to Compete for Big Ten Title

The Buckeyes have a legitimate stud in Wesson, but it became clear Saturday that more is needed out of his supporting cast moving forward.

Aside from Wesson, no other player scored more than 12 points for OSU against the Spartans. Ohio State's other four starters combined for just 34 points, and it struggled offensively when Wesson was in foul trouble in the second half.

As pointed out by ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Wesson has been in top form as of late:

While he dominated during the first half against MSU, he ended up with just seven points and one board in the second half since he sat for a period of time and played less aggressively because of foul issues.

Bill Landis of The Athletic also noted that Wesson isn't known for logging significant minutes:

His propensity for getting into foul trouble plays into that, and it was a major issue Saturday since his teammates largely didn't step up.

The Big Ten is a deep and talented conference that features several teams who have multiple players capable of taking over games.

Michigan State is perhaps the best example of that, but Michigan and Indiana may be in that category as well. Ohio State is a dangerous team when Wesson in rolling and isn't in foul trouble, but the margin for error is small until other players begin to step up.

Although the Buckeyes are a tournament team and capable of being a factor in the Big Ten, they won't overtake the likes of MSU and Michigan until Wesson has more help.

What's Next?

Both Michigan State and Ohio State have winnable Big Ten games on tap following their see-saw affair on Saturday.

The Spartans will host a talented Purdue squad on Tuesday, while the Buckeyes will travel to take on Rutgers on the road Wednesday.