Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from nail-biting win over Bradley

DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 21: Aaron Henry #11, Matt McQuaid #20, Cassius Winston #5, Xavier Tillman #23, and Kenny Goins #25 of the Michigan State Spartans stand on the court during their game in the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament against the Bradley Braves at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MARCH 17: Matt McQuaid #20 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines during the championship game of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at the United Center on March 17, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

3. Matt McQuaid continues to hit the big shots

Matt McQuaid’s career at Michigan State is ending just how it started: with big shots. The senior guard began his career by nailing some clutch 3-pointers in the Champions Classic against Kansas as a freshman and might just cap it off with an incredible NCAA Tournament run filled with more clutch distance shots.

He sure added one to the memory bank on Thursday afternoon, essentially putting the game away with a big 3-pointer in the final minutes.

With the Spartans up 58-55 and seemingly unable to extend that slim lead for the entirety of the game, McQuaid caught a pass and went up with a shot as it looked like he also got hit on the arm. It ultimately didn’t matter as he sunk the 3-pointer to give the Spartans a 61-55 lead which only got extended from that point on.

That was the spark the offense needed as the Spartans won by 11 and even though he didn’t have his best game, McQuaid came up with the biggest shot of the game when fellow senior Kenny Goins was going through a rough patch.

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