I never thought I'd say this but Tuesday night's performance against Minnesota won me over: Carson Cooper could be a surprising key to a deep March run for Michigan State.
That's right, the center who has earned the third-most minutes on the team this season is actually more important than we all realize. No, he's not going to take over games on the offensive end, but when he's on defensively, there aren't many teams that can go into the paint and get easy buckets. He has become a force in the paint in recent games and Minnesota was a prime example.
While he's more known for his defense and rebounding, he can actually have a major impact on the offensive end. No, he's not going to just back a defender down and score with a post move or hook shot, but he grabbed five offensive rebounds against Minnesota which led to some second-chance buckets for the Spartans.
Cooper's presence against the Gophers really changed the outlook of the game, forcing Minnesota to crash the boards a little harder, but to no avail.
The junior big man from Jackson, Mich., has been the center of a ton of criticism this season and someone who fans have dubbed the "10th man in a 10-man rotation" but he was anything but that against the Gophers. He was arguably the best player on the court, giving his all for 21 minutes off the bench which led all big men.
That version of Cooper is exactly what this team needs and if he plays like this for the remainder of the season, the Spartans are going to cruise to a Big Ten title and really make things interesting in March.
I've been hard on Cooper this season, but he's starting to come around and Tuesday's performance made a believer out of me. He can be a legit bench threat in the post on both ends.
And no, I still don't want him taking contested baby hooks in the post.