Sports: MSU, Packers Win!

College Basketball

The Michigan State Spartans beat Northwestern 84-77 in overtime on Sunday.

Travis Trice recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists.  Denzel Valentine added 17 points for the Spartans. Branden Dawson and Gavin Schilling provided 13 points apiece. Bryn Forbes chimed in with 11 points.  The 12-5 Spartans have won three in a row and are off until Saturday when they head to Maryland.  Catch the Tom Izzo Show tonight after High School Basketball tonight on WBCK.

Michigan is at Ohio State Tuesday night.

Number two Duke is no longer undefeated.  They fell to North Carolina State 87 to 75.  Only Kentucky and Virginia remain undefeated in College Basketball.

Aaron Rodgers threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns as the Packers edged the Cowboys 26-21 in an NFC Divisional Round showdown in Green Bay.  Rodgers did it all with a bad leg.  The Cowboys appeared ready to take the lead late in the game on a great catch by Dez Bryant at the one. The Green Bay’s challenge overturned the play. Meanwhile in Denver, Andrew Luck passed for 265 yards and two scores as the Colts upset Peyton Manning and the Broncos 24-13. Will it be the last game for Denver’s Peyton Manning? The Colts will clash with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC title game on Sunday.  The Packers will face the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in Seattle in the NFC Championship Game next Sunday.

College Championship Game

The first College Football Playoff national champion will be crowned tonight.  Second-ranked Oregon (13-1) plays number-four Ohio State (13-1) at AT&T Stadium. Kick-off is 8:30 p.m.  The Ducks advanced to the title game by blowing out third-ranked Florida State 59-20 in the Rose Bowl in one of two national semifinals.  The Buckeyes stunned top-ranked Alabama 42-35 in the Sugar Bowl to win the other semifinal. Oregon is seeking its first national championship in football, while Ohio State is after its eighth national title and first since 2002.

Pistons

The Pistons play in Toronto tonight.  Detroit is 13-and-24 after a win over Brooklyn on Saturday.  Toronto is 25-and-11.

Red Wings

The Red Wings are Buffalo on Tuesday.  The last time the two met, the Wings scored six goals for a 6-3 win. The Wings will be without goalie Jimmy Howard for some time. He was placed on injured reserve Sunday after an MRI revealed the severity of his groin injury he suffered early on Saturday.  Tom McCollum was called up from Grand Rapids of the AHL.

MSU Star to Stay

Defensive end Shilique Calhoun will return to Michigan State for his senior season. He made the announcement after Mark Snyder was introduced as the new defensive coordinator.  He was projected as a possible first or second-round pick by NFL Draft experts.