MSU win over UMD shows potential

A big conference win over the University of Maryland brought on a slew of stats from the Michigan State Spartans.

The 69-55 win over then no. 19 UMD pushed then no. 6 MSU to a 12 game winning streak overall and a 20 game winning streak in the Big Ten. While it’s an impressive feat, some players did not even realize what they’d accomplish.

Five Spartans finished the game with points in the double digits. However, a familiar name was left out of the scoring group- Nick Ward. Ward got into foul trouble early in the second half, going 0-3 with four turnovers.

With the frustions of Ward not being able to make an impact in the game, Kenny Goins stepped up and stole the show. Goins tied with Cassius Winston, leading the team with 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, earning himself a double-double.

“Tonight was so balanced… to be able to do that without one of our leading scorers not score a point, it really shows how good we can be when all of us are running on three sides of it,” said Goins.

But what do these stats mean for the team, other than a happy Spartan fan base?

It means that Michigan State was able to beat a team that was on a seven game win streak by 14 points. It means that MSU made a top-10 recruiting class look young for the first time in most of their season.

The fact that Joshua Langford was still out with an ankle injury and Ward was a no-show during the Spartans impressive and versatile win, showed that this team still can be a force to be reckoned with.

“It’s crazy that this isn’t even our ceiling. It’s just a whole other level we can reach and you know that’s the scary part,” said Winston. “Once we get that clicking we’re going to be a really, really good basketball team.

MSU was aggressive on defense, forcing 12 turnovers for UMD. They showed they are a fast running team, scoring 29 points off fast breaks. If the Spartans can keep this up with everyone contributing and become a little more efficient offensively, maybe they won’t go back home come early March.