Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from sloppy win over Illinois

2. Miles Bridges’ confidence is drastically rising

Miles Bridges made some grown man plays to get back on track against Illinois. Sure, he technically got back on track against Indiana in a 28-point victory on Friday night, but he definitely gained momentum against the Fighting Illini, scoring his second-highest total of the season (31 points).

Bridges did everything fans have been clamoring for and made it look easy. Heck, even Tom Izzo would have to crack a smile seeing as his blue-collar superstar played far more selfish than he has throughout the Big Ten season — and he only needed 13 shots to have an impact.

Just how good was he? He shot 11-of-13 from the floor, 2-of-4 from behind the 3-point line, finished with eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal and made all seven of his free throw attempts. Oh yeah, and he had a slew of highlight-reel dunks.

On top of that, his defense was solid all night long and he looked like his old self, maybe even better. He’s now scored over 20 points in back-to-back games for the first time all year. Let that sink in for a second.