INDIANAPOLIS — All Denzel Valentine wanted Friday night was a win at the Big Ten Tournament.
The glitzy numbers didn’t mean a thing.
After finishing with 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in an 81-54 blowout over Ohio State (20-13) in the quarterfinals, the Big Ten player of the year explained what No. 2 Michigan State (27-5) is really after — a record-tying fifth tourney crown, a No. 1 seed in next week’s NCAA Tournament, and, yes, the school’s third national championship.
“We didn’t accomplish one of our goals, to win the Big Ten championship outright, and we’re kind of mad about it,” Valentine said. “The seniors, me and Matt (Costello) never won a Big Ten championship outright, so we’re kind of mad right now and we’ve got something to play for.”
The motivated Spartans are locked in, especially Valentine who could have had a rare triple double if coach Tom Izzo hadn’t put him on the bench for the final 5:28 of the game.
But Valentine knew he could use the rest and spent the rest of the game cheering for his teammates as they rolled to their 11th win in 12 games. Next up is either No. 18 Maryland or Nebraska in Saturday’s second semifinal game.
And in a tournament that has been full of surprises, Valentine and the Big Ten regular-season runners-up look like the closest thing to a sure bet.
