If you were worried that Michigan State basketball wasn't going to get up for the season finale against rival Michigan after locking up the Big Ten on Wednesday with the Wolverines' home loss to Maryland, you were dead wrong. Tom Izzo gets up for this Michigan game. He lives for it. He breathes it.
And his Spartans followed suit, downing Michigan at home, 79-62.
This game really wasn't close from the get-go as the Spartans raced out to a 20-6 lead and then held a 22-point advantage at halftime. While they played some sloppy hoops in the final 20 minutes, they still managed to win by 17 and give Jaden Akins, Frankie Fidler, and Jaden Akins the send-off they deserved -- even if a couple of Michigan players tried to spoil it.
What did we learn from win No. 26 on the season?
1. Tre Holloman's Senior Day is going to be fun
I know Sunday was supposed to be all about the seniors, but Tre Holloman stole the show, scoring 20 points off the bench and playing the role of hero at the end of the game when two Michigan players were standing on the Spartan logo when it was time for the seniors to kiss the logo.
Not only is he playing the best basketball of his career, setting up for a special senior season in 2025-26, but he has the fire that would make the Flintstone-era teams proud.
I don't know about you, but I'm going to be fist-pumping when Holloman kisses the floor a year from now.
2. Jase Richardson is never not on his 'A' game
Have you ever seen Jase Richardson play a "bad" game? I honestly don't think I have, but it's nice to see that he's always on top of his game. He scored another 18 points on Sunday, putting the offense on his back when the rest of the squad struggled in the second half.
The Spartans need Richardson to be this version of himself if they want to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The combination of him and Holloman have been fantastic and hopefully that doesn't stop any time soon.
If this was his final game in a Spartan uniform, he didn't disappoint.
3. When this team plays loose, it's impossible to stop
With the Big Ten already locked up, Michigan State came out looking really loose and it showed with a 20-6 start to the game and a 22-point lead at the half. The Spartans continued to play loose in the second half, but it was much more sloppy and lazy. Too many lazy passes and settling for bad shots because the game felt like it was in hand -- that was the opposite in the first half.
This team can play loose and under control and it will be nearly impossible to stop. This feels like the end of the 2019-20 season when Cassius Winston and Co. were on a roll and were playing freely.
Let's hope this team continues that into the NCAA Tournament.