Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from impressive Maryland win

1. Cassius Winston is flat-out filthy

Although his shot wasn’t falling against the 13th-ranked Terrapins, Cassius Winston found other ways to make a difference. He was still tied for the team lead in points, but he took matters into his own hands, running a solid fast break yet again and finding open guys for seven assists and just one turnover.

And this was all on a night when he couldn’t get anything going in the post from his big man, Nick Ward.

But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. I could go on and on about how effective Winston runs an offense and how he’s the favorite to win Big Ten Player of the Year, but I’m here for the style points.

There were two plays on Monday night that stood out above the rest and made me thing, “Wow, this kid is filthy.”

Here’s the first one:

https://twitter.com/BigTenNetwork/status/1087513419392069632

Not too shabby, right? He sliced his way through Maryland’s defense with relative ease, got to the bucket and scooped it up and in, drawing a foul in the process but still managing to make it look effortless.

Here’s the second:

https://twitter.com/BigTenNetwork/status/1087520448517046272

Always in the right position to start the fast break, he took the pass after Xavier Tillman’s block coast-to-coast with a nifty behind the back dribble to get his man looking the other way and scooped it in for two.

This kid is not only a leader, a great scorer and a Big Ten Player of the Year candidate, but he’s also got some filthy moves that he showcased on Monday night. He surprised some folks, including myself.