CHICAGO -- Brandon Knight might feel a little better now, thanks to Keith Appling.

The Pistons guard became a social media punching bag because he was on the receiving end of a monster dunk from Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan.

Shouldn't the little guy know better to put himself in such situations?

But it was the 6-foot-1 Appling who ventured into the tall trees Friday night with Michigan State looking lifeless and bordering on desperate. Appling didn't let the presence of Iowa 6-7 forward Mel Basabe deter him from soaring high over the rim for a thunderous slam that knocked the United Center crowd out of its seats.

And the dunk helped knock the Spartans out of their game-long funk.

Michigan State soon went on an impressive run with other players attacking the rim offensively and protecting their own defensively. What appeared as another embarrassing first-round exit for the Spartans turned into a 59-56 victory over a Hawkeyes team hungry for a last-ditch chance to impress the NCAA tournament selection committee.

The Spartans' comeback bailed out the Big Ten big-time.

Had MSU and Michigan bowed out, the conference wouldn't have anything close to that dream Big Ten "Final Four" today that many were hoping for.

The Wolverines didn't deliver earlier Friday against Wisconsin. And it definitely looked as though the Spartans would join their "buddies" filing out of Chicago with their tails between their legs.

But Appling, along with Adreian Payne and Gary Harris, provided the missing energy.

This might have been Payne's best game as a Spartan considering how dire the situation looked at the midway point of the second half. The Hawkeyes stood poised to blow Michigan State out of the building. Every time the Spartans made a surge, the Hawkeyes answered.

But that's when Payne stepped up (ASTERISK) on both ends of the floor. He erased shots on defense, blocking one that almost wedged inside the backboard. He scored off offensive rebounds.

This is the Payne that coach Tom Izzo envisioned when he landed the five-star prospect out of Dayton, Ohio, three years ago. He already was freakishly athletic for somebody 6-10, but he now performs with the confidence to just let it loose.

He was the biggest reason for an impressive 24-4 run that gave the Spartans a six-point lead and a seemingly comfortable cushion.

Yeah, right.

Michigan State looked determined to give the game right back to the Hawkeyes in the closing minutes, but they closed it out, making their free throws and giving Iowa little defensive breathing room on their final possession.

If you're a Big Ten fan, you were strongly pulling for the Iowa upset.

The Hawkeyes were the only participant actually playing for something in this tournament. An outside chance remained that they could sneak into the backdoor of the NCAA tournament with a couple wins over the nation's top-10 teams.

They were the little guys hoping to topple the giant this time.

But with the emotional push of their relatively pint-sized point guard, the Spartans refused to fall down.