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Bryn Forbes, y’all.
There’s not much more to say than the man’s name. He’s been an absolute beast this season, and his game reached a new level in the second half of the season.
Forbes has been dangerous beyond the arc this year, but 11 3-pointers looks like a typo in a box score. Sure, it’s against Rutgers, but a 33-point performance in the second to last regular season game is impressive no matter who is on the other side of the court.
Matt Costello (10 points, 15 rebounds) had a solid performance, and Denzel Valentine (14 points, 6-for-17 from the field) came on in the second half despite a second straight contest with a less-than-impressive shooting percentage.
In total, five players finished in double figures, including all four starters. It wasn’t the most pleasant game to watch overall, but the team did its thing – and Forbes was his own highlight reel.
MSU found itself in a familiar spot yet again – needing to come out in the second half after a lukewarm 20 minutes to start.
Don’t let the first half fool you. This was nothing more than a gift game.
No, it’s not a game that was gifted to an opponent. This game was pretty much determined before the tip, anyway. What makes this is a gift game is that this is the perfect contest to give your tickets away. Usually it’s to a causal fan who doesn’t know the difference between this and a top-10 matchup.
This game is nothing more than an excuse for the Spartans to break down film and figure out how to correct things before next week. It’s the same story – getting off to a hotter start and making free throws. A 58.3 percent clip from the charity stripe won’t cut it against better opponents. Against a team that has lost 17 straight and still doesn’t have a conference win, you can get away with it.
MSU has plenty to play for in its final game against Ohio State on Saturday. Arguably the most important is clinching the double bye in Big Ten tournament play.
Not to be forgotten, however, is the four Spartans who will kiss the court in their final Breslin contest. This team has been led by its vets all year, so one can expect box score fireworks from Forbes, Valentine and Costello by the weekend.