EAST LANSING, Mich. – Guys who are 6-foot-9 and 270 pounds aren't supposed to get breakaway dunks, but that's the kind of night it was for Michigan State.
Derrick Nix made a steal in the backcourt and took it all the way – it felt like an earthquake – for a two-handed slam to give the Spartans a 20-point lead with 13:58 remaining.
"I was hoping the ball boys (under the basket) would watch out," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said.
The fans at the Breslin Center stood and started chanting Nix's name. A year ago, when he was overweight and out of shape, Nix was the big question mark for Michigan State.
This time, he was the exclamation point in the sixth-ranked Spartans' 62-34 rout of Nebraska on Saturday night at the Breslin Center.
"I knew that play, so I just took a chance and gambled," said Nix, who is surprisingly agile considering his size. "I like to dribble. I secretly think I'm a point guard."
While Nix provided the night's most memorable moment, teammate Draymond Green finished it off with a personal milestone as the Spartans moved one step closer to a Big Ten title.
Green recorded his 16th double-double in 29 games this season with 20 points and 10 boards.
His 10th rebound, with about five minutes remaining, gave him 1,000 for his career. He is only the fourth player in Michigan State history to accomplish that, joining Greg Kelser, Johnny Green (no relation) and Antonio Smith.
Green is also just the third player in school history with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds (Kelser and Johnny Green).
Kelser, who had 1,092 rebounds in his career from 1975-79, was courtside broadcasting the game for BTN and congratulated Green during a postgame interview.
"That means a lot to me, more the rebounds than the points," Green said of the two milestones. "The rebound is a complete effort category. That's what this program has been built around. To reach that with greats like Johnny Green and Greg Kelser, it means a lot."
Michigan State (24-5, 13-3 Big Ten) can now clinch at least a share of the conference championship – its third in four years and seventh in Izzo's 17 seasons – with a victory Tuesday at Indiana.
The Hoosiers have lost only once at home this season. Top-ranked Kentucky's lone defeat came at Indiana.
But if the Spartans find a way to win, they will have an opportunity to assure themselves of the outright title – plus the Big Ten's No. 1 seed for the conference tournament – by beating Ohio State in the regular season finale next Sunday in East Lansing.
The Spartans, 17-0 in the Breslin Center, can also finish off a perfect season at home against the Buckeyes.
"The best part of the whole deal right now is destiny is in our own hands," Izzo said. "The problem is I think we've got two of the tougher games that we've had all year left. We've got our work cut out. I think we would have proven that we earned it."
Izzo has his team focused on the big prize right now while playing with a supreme sense of urgency, at least on the defensive end.
Michigan State, a candidate for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, is 7-0 in February. Their last loss came at Illinois on January 31.
The biggest reason for this winning streak has been that Michigan State's defense is suffocating opponents.
Nebraska's 34 points were the fewest allowed by Michigan State since Brown also scored 34 in the 2006-07 opening game.
Nebraska (12-15, 4-12), which has lost six of its last seven, shot just 29.2 percent on the day. That's actually only the fourth-worst field-goal percentage against MSU this season. Texas Southern shot 26.4 percent, Eastern Michigan 28.6 percent and Purdue 29.0 percent.
After having 15 points at halftime, it got even worse for the Cornhuskers, who scored only four points in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Guard Bo Spencer, Nebraska's leading scorer with a 15.6-point average, sprained an ankle and scored only two points in 22 minutes.
"It is taking on a life of its own," Izzo said of the defensive dominance. "I haven't figured out how yet. I don't see us like this great defensive team like some we've had, but it's been happening now, by the numbers, game after game. I just hope it continues."
The Spartans were coming off a scare in their last game, when they had to rally at Minnesota after trailing by six with 3:23 remaining.
They were sloppy early and often this time (16 turnovers), but once they cleaned things up, it quickly became a blowout, with Michigan State shooting 59 percent from the field.
The team's unselfish nature also showed with 15 assists on 23 baskets. Nix had a career-high five assists, even passing up a possible dunk at one point to set up Austin Thornton for a three-pointer.
That was about a minute before Nix brought down the house with his coast-to-coast romp for the highlight shows.
It was a fun night for him, Green and all of the Spartans, who are on the verge of a Big Ten title they weren't expected to win.
