Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from slim win over Iowa

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EAST LANSING, MI – JANUARY 31: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts to a play during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second half at Breslin Center on January 31, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

1. Miles Bridges is more fun when he has that killer instinct

When Miles Bridges has a bad game, people are quick to jump on him and say that he’s not elite or that he should have left for the NBA after his freshman year. When he has a good game, the tune is changed.

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That’s just the nature of college basketball fandom.

The fact of the matter is that Bridges is having a strong season and he’s in the midst of the best stretch of his career, believe it or not. Just because he’s not dunking as much as he did a year ago doesn’t mean he’s not playing well. For the fifth time in seven games, he’s scored at least 22 points.

On Tuesday against Iowa, he played more aggressively and finished with 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting and even picked off an inbounds pass with about six seconds left and the Spartans up by three to seal the deal — but he did miss his only two free throws of the game after the swipe.

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Bridges showed serious killer instinct against the Hawkeyes and, let’s be honest, it’s more fun to see him play with reckless abandon. He put the team on his back when it needed a leader, and that’s the Bridges we all expect game in and game out.

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