to end the regular season with a chance at a double bye in the Big Ten tournament. MSU played well in the first half, but foul trouble, three for Kenny Goins and two for Nick Ward, left their lead at only one at halftime. In the second half, Maryland led most of the way, but MSU turned to Nick Ward to keep it close. Ward's 22 points and career-high 16 rebounds left the Spartans tied with less than a 30 seconds remaining in the game. However, MSU went scoreless for the final 3:11 of the game and Ward could not handle Cassius Winston's pass for a layup to take the lead. Maryland's Melo Trimble hit a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to give Maryland the win and the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament. Miles Bridges' 18 points and eight rebounds were not enough as MSU would have to wait to see where they would end up as a seed in the Big Ten tournament. The loss put MSU at 18–13 on the season and 10–8 in conference. Following action on the final day of the regular season, the Spartans received the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten tournament finishing in a tie for fifth place in Big Ten play. Big Ten tournament As the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten tournament, MSU was set to face Penn State in the second round on March 9, 2017. Looking to keep its streak of appearing in every Big Ten tournament quarterfinals round ever, MSU traveled to Washington, D.C. to take on the Nittany Lions. MSU jumped up quickly on Penn State with a 12–0 run in the first half and dominated the game. They held Penn State to 29 percent from the field and outrebounded them 44–29. Miles Bridges and Nick Ward each had 15 points and nine rebounds as they won easily 78–51. With the win, MSU moved to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament to face Minnesota. Having beaten Minnesota twice in the regular season, the Spartans looked to do it a third time, but Minnesota fought hard in the game. Led by Reggie Lynch's 16 points, the Golden Gophers were able to hold off the Spartans 63–58. MSU's freshmen struggled, according to Tom Izzo, and Cassius Winston played less than four minutes in the second half. Nick Ward, who scored 15 points and