Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Basketball: Cherish this 2017-18 Big Ten title

By Ian Olsen

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Michigan State Spartans celebrate with the Big Ten trophy after the Spartan defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini at Breslin Center on February 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Michigan State Spartans celebrate with the Big Ten trophy after the Spartan defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini at Breslin Center on February 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Although a national title is the ultimate goal, Michigan State basketball fans shouldn’t take a Big Ten regular season championship for granted.

This Spartan team will finish with the winningest regular season in Michigan State basketball history.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: Game-by-game predictions for February

Some consider this relatively unimportant considering the ultimate goal of a national championship. Others disagree.

Regular season games greatly outnumber playoff games, so a Final Four run includes a larger element of luck compared to a regular season championship. Tom Izzo understands this, telling Miles Bridges when he decided to return that if he was coming back to win a national championship he shouldn’t do it.

Because the team was in more control of a regular season conference championship, the championship was an essential accomplishment.

The paramount goal of this team is a national championship, and anything short of a Final Four would be a disappointment. But an earlier loss in the tournament would not make this season a failure. After all, the team raised MSU’s first conference championship banner in six seasons.

Don’t misunderstand – the regular season championship does not lessen the magnitude of a national championship. But it’s important to recognize the greatness of what this season’s team has already accomplished. So, while a national championship would magnify the conference championship, a tournament loss would not diminish it.

Miles Bridges starred again as the best player in the conference, cementing his place as a Michigan State legend. Cassius Winston developed into an elite passer, lights-outs shooter, and clutch playmaker. Joshua Langford broke out to become the team’s primary sharpshooter. Nick Ward bullied defenders to be the third-most proficient player nationwide. Jaren Jackson broke the team’s blocks record. Matt McQuaid corrected poor shooting to finish the season red hot. And as a role player in his senior season, Gavin Schilling made the difference in the team’s most important win against Purdue by guarding Isaac Haas.

But conferences aren’t won on talent and individual performance alone. This team together exuded the intangibles of building chemistry and finding the toughness to gut out second-half comebacks.

Next: MSU Basketball: 5 bold predictions for February

The team’s legacy will always include the newest banner hanging from the Breslin Center’s rafters – now time add more.

Home/Spartans Basketball