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Michigan State Basketball: Highlights for Spartans’ win over Miami

By Connor Muldowney

Mar 17, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Miles Bridges (22), guard Cassius Winston (5) and guard Lourawls Nairn Jr. (11) celebrate after the game against the Miami Hurricanes in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BOK Center. Michigan State defeated Miami 78-58. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Miles Bridges (22), guard Cassius Winston (5) and guard Lourawls Nairn Jr. (11) celebrate after the game against the Miami Hurricanes in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BOK Center. Michigan State defeated Miami 78-58. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan State basketball picked up a 20-point win over Miami in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Four minutes into the game and you could almost hear a collective groan coming from East Lansing. Michigan State basketball fans were ready to call the 2016-17 quits after the Spartans were down by 12 points in the first few minutes against the Miami Hurricanes.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: 5 bold predictions for NCAA Tournament

The youth was starting to show with the Spartans after a 10-0 run by Miami to open the game and it would have been easy for them to just call it a game and end the season early. However, that wasn’t the case. Michigan State made a furious comeback and took an 11-point lead at halftime.

Michigan State kept pouring it on in the final 20 minutes, heading into the round of 32 after beating Miami by 20 points, 78-58.

Three Stars

Obviously Miles Bridges has to be our top star because he did it all for the Spartans and kept the team level-headed when trailing by 12. He finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a block on a red-hot 8-of-12 shooting night.

Nick Ward is a close second. He finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, adding a block as well, and really looked like a dominant force in the paint, making 8-of-9 shots. His free throw shooting has also improved immensely (he was 3-for-3).

Last, but certainly not least, was Josh Langford. The former McDonald’s All-American really stepped up and ignited the offense. His aggressive shooting really helped the Spartans pull away and he made 5-of-10 shots for 13 points.

Highlights

Key Stats

  • Michigan State made just 6-of-20 3-pointers while Miami hit 4-of-16.
  • The Spartans out-rebounded one of the top rebounding teams in the ACC, 36-23.
  • Michigan State ended the first half on a 30-8 (essentially game-clinching) run.
  • The Spartans had six turnovers in the first five minutes and then just six throughout the remaining 35.
  • The freshmen combined for 57 points, the most in school history for an NCAA Tournament game.
  • Michigan State had 18 assists on 30 field goals and shot 57 percent from the floor — in comparison, Miami shot just 40 percent and had eight assists on 21 field goals.
  • Josh Langford has taken double-digit shots three times this season and Michigan State is 3-0 in those games with an average win margin of 21 points.

Related Story: MSU Basketball: 5 reasons Spartans can make Final Four

What’s Next?

Michigan State gets the tough task of facing Kansas on Sunday at 5:15 p.m. ET in Tulsa. It’ll be an intriguing matchup between Josh Jackson and Miles Bridges.

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