Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from rivalry loss to Michigan

2. Miles Bridges showed he can be more aggressive

There were a ton of critics of Miles Bridges following the loss to Michigan, and while he deserved some of the blame, it wasn’t solely on him. Actually, he did exactly what Tom Izzo asked of him, but for some, that will never be enough.

Bridges showed that he can be more aggressive with the ball in his hands. He still has some work to do in that department as he turns the ball over too much while driving, but he’s becoming more of the player that was expected at the beginning of the year. He finished with 19 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Shockingly, there are fans who are still knocking his play in Saturday’s game even though it was a collective effort and he led the team in scoring. He shot 7-of-14 from the field but just 1-of-5 from deep. He took the ball to the basket often and essentially scored each time.

The major problem was the defensive end. He got beat on the first step too much — as did Cassius Winston, Josh Langford and Nick Ward — and that may be the reason he’s getting criticized following the loss. He’s a leader, though, and he’s taken the blame as well. Either way, he’s showing that he can do a little of everything.