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Madison, Wis. • Tom Izzo wasn't trying to be funny.
He was simply expressing frustration after Traevon Jackson's pull-up jumper from about 10 feet with 2.1 seconds left lifted Wisconsin past No. 9 Michigan State, 60-58 on Sunday.
It was some of the 18 other baskets the Badgers hit that got to the coach of the short-handed Spartans.
"Some guys in there that couldn't guard this table," Izzo said before someone listening to his postgame press conference chuckled.
"That's not funny; that's the truth. I'd probably laugh too if I were you," he said.
Playing in his second game, and first start, back from a foot injury, Adreian Payne finished with a game-high 24 points and hit a 3 with 10 seconds left that tied the game 58-58.
As has often happened during the junior's career, Jackson ended up with the ball in his hands late for a defining shot. Izzo knew it might be coming, so he put his best defender, Gary Harris, on Jackson.
Still no luck and the shot went through. A desperation 3 by Michigan State from midcourt banged off the rim as time expired. The victory snapped a three-game Wisconsin losing skid at home.
The Badgers (19-5, 6-5 Big Ten) committed 14 turnovers, six more than their NCAA-leading 8.3 per game, but gutted out a win over Michigan State (20-4, 9-2).
St. John's 70, Creighton 65 • D'Angelo Harrison scored 19 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:08 to play, and the Red Storm (15-9, 5-6 Big East) upset the Bluejays (19-4, 9-2) at Madison Square Garden. Doug McDermott matched his nation-leading average with 25 points for Creighton, but he didn't score over the final 8:40.