Feb 24, 2019; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Cassius Winston (5) goes to the basket in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Center. Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Don’t look now, but Michigan State is on a roll.
The Spartans are fresh off an impressive road win over rival Michigan, have won five straight and now sit atop the Big Ten standings with a 14-3 league record.
In the latest AP Top 25 poll, Tom Izzo’s club moved up four spots to No. 6 nationally after it snapped the Wolverines 22-game home winning streak.
Despite playing without Joshua Langford (out for season) and Nick Ward (broken hand), Michigan State used a highly effective offense, sparked by point guard Cassius Winston, to pull away from No. 7 Michigan in the second half for a 77-70 victory.
Winston had 27 points and eight assists to lead the 10th-ranked Spartans scoring attack. Forwards Kenny Goins and Xavier Tillman and guard Matt McQuaid also played key roles in the MSU win. Goins had 16 points and 11 rebounds, Tillman added 14 points, five rebounds and two assists, and McQuaid chipped in 13 points, five rebounds and two assists.
“I just led the guys and made big plays down the stretch, but this was a team win,” Winston said. “Everybody stepped up. Kenny had a big game. (Matt) McQuaid made some big shots. This is really a team win and that’s the best part.”
Early in the second half, Michigan looked like it was taking control of the game, but the Spartans went on a 21-7 run to regain the momentum.
The Spartans were especially gritty defensively. They limited Michigan’s balanced offensive attack to 39.7 percent shooting from the field (23 of 58) and 26.9 percent (7 of 26) from the 3-point line.
“They were much better than us in just about everything,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “Offense, defense, got to the foul line more. First half was huge where we allowed five 3s. Second half was much better defense by us, but … we’re going to have to play better than that.”
Point guard Zavier Simpson led the Michigan with 19 points, five rebounds and two assists. Forward Ignas Brazdeikis tallied 16 points and nine boards. Center Jon Teske had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Michigan State will play again on the road at Indiana on March 2. Michigan hosts Nebraska this Thursday.
If the Spartans continue to win, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament is not out of the question.
