to play. So the whole thing falls on me. I’m tired of explaining why I don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. I see us getting better and the minute I say it we take that for granted." The Spartans, led by Nick Ward's 16 points, trailed by 12 at the half and were never able to even the score in the second half. As a result, the Spartans fell 72–63, falling to 11–6 overall and 3–1 in Big Ten play. Following the loss to Penn State, the Spartans returned home to face the newly ranked No. 24 Minnesota on January 11. The Gophers had not lost since losing to the Spartans in overtime to open the Big Ten schedule. The Spartans wore "throwback" uniforms that featured the school's first name, Michigan Agricultural College. Cassius Winston was the lone freshman who did not start the game as "Tum Tum" Nairn joined Eron Harris in the starting lineup. Miles Bridges and Nick Ward led the Spartans in the first half as MSU jumped up early on Minnesota and used a 15–0 stretch to end the first half with a 22-point lead. Minnesota was only able to muster 17 first half points as the Spartan defense clamped down. Bridges scored all of his game-high 16 points in the first half as he looked to be fully into the game. Minnesota was only able to get the lead under 20 three times in the second half as the Spartans cruised to a 65–47 victory. Ward scored nine points with eight rebounds in 13 minutes before fouling out. Joshua Langford added 13 points as the Spartans remained in first place in the Big Ten with a 4–1 record, 12–6 overall. The win marked Tom Izzo's 250th win in Big Ten play. Looking to stay in first place in Big Ten play, MSU headed to Columbus, Ohio to take on Ohio State who was 0–4 in Big Ten play. The Spartans started well, jumping to an early 12–5 lead over the Buckeyes. However, OSU responded with several runs in the first half to take a 36–33 lead at the half. In the second half, the teams traded leads, but MSU could not stop Ohio State and fell 72–67. Bridges led the Spartans with 24 points and nine rebounds, but turned the ball over six times. No other Spartan scored in double figures.