Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from title-clinching win over Michigan

Michigan State basketball topped Michigan on Senior Day for the Big Ten title. What did we learn from the Spartans’ epic win?

It was a tale of two halves. Michigan State was down big early to its in-state rival Michigan and it looked like the coveted season sweep was going to slip through its fingers.

Then the second half happened.

The Spartans bounced back thanks to a big second half from Cassius Winston, gaining the momentum they needed to secure a win and send the seniors out right by kissing the logo at midcourt.

What did we learn from the Spartans’ big win?

5. The seniors will be missed

This one is the most obvious takeaway on the list. Although the 2019 senior class is not like most groups, it has done more with less than probably any that has come through East Lansing.

Kenny Goins was a walk-on and a lightly-recruited kid out of Troy that didn’t have much of an offensive game and wasn’t big enough to be a power forward early on. He was a bit of a tweener who was used as an extra body during his freshman and sophomore years. Then he blossomed as a junior and now as a senior to be one of the best players on the team and a true offensive threat who can rebounding as well as anyone in the conference.

Matt McQuaid was a four-star recruit out of Texas who was brought in to be a shooter, but has become much more. He was voted captain this offseason and has been the team’s best perimeter defender, holding elite scorers like Carsen Edwards, Jordan Poole and James Palmer Jr. in check. He was a goofy kid who has matured into one of the best leaders on the team and a guy who can play on both ends of the court at a high level.

It’s going to be tough to replace these seniors and they’re going to be missed greatly in East Lansing.