Tyson Walker details what he saw on final shot in Purdue upset

It seemed like Michigan State guard Tyson Walker’s game-winning three against Purdue was the biggest shot of his life. After the game, he ranked it among the best shots he’s ever made.

“Easily No. 1,” Walker told reporters, via the Lansing State Journal’s Ryan Black.

Walker drained the bucket with 1.4 seconds left to give Michigan State the 68-65 victory over the No. 4-ranked Boilermakers on Saturday. It snapped a rough skid for the Spartans and made Purdue’s road to a Big Ten title that much tougher.

In his postgame interview with ESPN’s Myron Medcalf, Walker said he was more than confident the shot would fall. He reiterated that in his press conference with reporters.

“That shot there is how I’ve always done that good,” Walker said, via The Detroit Free Press’ Chris Solari. “I just knew once it left my hand it was good.”

With the win, Michigan State improved to 19-9 overall and 10-7 in Big Ten play. The Spartans entered Saturday with five losses in their last six games, but hope to carry some momentum into the last three games of the season after beating one of the conference leaders.

Tyson Walker reacts to Michigan State’s upset victory over Purdue

Michigan State guard Tyson Walker read the defensive switch perfectly against Purdue when he went up for the game-winning shot on Saturday. The bucket — his first of the second half — sent the Spartans past the Boilermakers 68-65 at the Breslin Center.

He was confident about his chances, too.

“We knew they were going to switch,” Walker told ESPN’s Myron Medcalf after the game. “At that moment, I just had to go to my go-to move. Once I let it go, I knew it was good.”

The victory couldn’t have come at a better time for Michigan State. The Spartans entered the game losers of five of their last six games, including a 26-point loss to Iowa earlier in the week. Now, with the Big Ten tournament looming, they have to maintain that momentum.

“We’ve got it in us, we’ve just got to bring it every time,” Walker said. “We showed it today [that] we can play with the best of them.”

Walker knows the Spartans can’t get too high after the win. They’ve still got three games left on the schedule, including matchups with Michigan and Ohio State. The junior knows how the team has to approach the home stretch of the regular season.

“We’ve got an underdog mentality,” Walker said. “We’ve got to keep playing like that.”