MSU BASKETBALL LOVE POST

HELLO EVERYONE. ISN’T EVERYTHING JUST AWESOME?

Man, I sure think so!

MSU beat Michigan on Sunday with two starters missing. In Ann Arbor. That happened.

Let’s just talk about how great every MSU player was on Sunday, shall we?!

Cassius Winston

The clamps.

That’s what we were told Zavier Simpson was going to give the best player in the Big Ten heading into this game.

“Winston is overrated”

“Winston will get locked down by Simpson”

“Winston isn’t the best guard in the state”

Winston had 27 points and eight assists while never stepping off the court.

Early on Winston wasn’t even looking for a shot. He knew UM would throw their best defense at him, doubling him at times. Instead of forcing himself into bad situations, he used his passing to get MSU rolling with four assists in the first 6 minutes of the game. He didn’t even take his first shot until 13:11 left in the first half, but that’s because he knew he could kill them with his passing.

What else can you even say? He’s the best player in the Big Ten and it’s absolutely hilarious that there are people that think other players that should win Big Ten Player of the Year.

Kenny Goins

Kenneth F. Goins. You know precisely what that F stands for.

Former walk-ons shouldn’t be this good, and they certainly shouldn’t be altering games.

Well, here we are with Mr. Goins, who completely lit the nets on fire in the first half with 13 points on 5-7 shooting (3-4 on 3-pointers). Just set the tone right off the jump.

Goins embodies MSU basketball – he’s scrappy and just finds a way to get things done. This goes even further than his 16 points and 11 rebounds. This goes for the entire season – a season that would not have a Big Ten title in sight if it wasn’t for him.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

X

Tillman was given the task of replacing 15 points and 6.7 rebounds by Nick Ward and going against the 7-foot-1 Jon Teske. How did the sophomore do being thrown into that big role? How about 14 points on 6/8 shooting and keeping the paint locked down for the most part?

We all love Tillman for his grit, but today his game was all discipline. He didn’t take bad shots, no matter if they were left open, and did the task he was assigned to in A+ fashion.

Matt McQuaid

The best defender in the Big Ten. You can call that being a homer, but I’ll just call it being honest.

Jordan Poole was invisible most the game thanks to McQuaid throwing anyone he guarded in a straightjacket. And let’s not forget he did it for 37 minutes tonight.

Oh, and this…

That was neat.

Aaron Henry

Henry didn’t get to play a ton, just 16 minutes (just two in the first half due to foul trouble), but he made his presence felt. Whether he was guarding Jordan Poole (2-8 3-point shooting), Charles Matthews (1-8 shooting) or Brazdeikis, he was owning it on defense.

He only had four points, but those two free throws with 7:06 left in the game to push the lead to 60-55 is when MSU started smelling blood.

Kyle Ahrens

If you’ve ever had a back injury, you know how hard it is to just simply walk.

How about playing 22 minutes of basketball with a good amount of that being spent playing quality defense?

I don’t know if Ahrens would’ve played if MSU wasn’t in desperation mode, but he did. And on the defensive end, he played damn well and led the game in steals with three. Of course his shot isn’t there because his back is in shambles, but he knows that and didn’t force anything.

The kid is a Spartan Dawg, simple as that.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Thomas Kithier

Kithier has proved a lot of people wrong this year as some didn’t think he had what it took to make a difference yet. Those people are now wrong.

He’s had to grow up fast, especially with Ward out, and he put the work in on Sunday night on the defensive end. And he also had his already-patented move of slipping away for a wide-open layup during MSU’s crucial 7-0 run in the middle of the second half.

Gabe Brown

Easy game for him, just five minutes of action. But against a Michigan team that has some solid scoring threats, you’re going to work for all five of those minutes.

Brown is going to be a strong player here. We’ve already seen how fearless he is whether it’s shooting the ball or getting aggressive on defense. Big things coming from Brown.

Man, I love this team. This team is fun.