Michigan State survived a furious upset attempt from Bradley, but the Braves may have exposed some serious issues for the Spartans.
The first round of the NCAA Tournament has been a bit quiet on the upset front, but we nearly got a bracket buster in Des Moines. MVC champions Bradley gave no. 2 seed Michigan State all they could handle, leading 55-54 with 7:05 to go, but the Spartans finished the game on a 22-10 run to survive and advance.
Cassius Winston carried the Spartans offensively, scoring 26 points on 8-17 shooting, but he didn’t get much help from his teammates. Kenny Goins had a particularly brutal day, going 1-10 from the floor and 0-7 from beyond the arc.
The Braves committed to a tenacious half-court defense against the Spartans, making it nearly impossible for Michigan State to get the ball inside and take advantage of its height. Michigan State was far too happy to settle for three-pointers and went 5-19 from the perimeter in the contest.
If Bradley had been able to hit more free throws this game could have been a lot more difficult for the Spartans to win. Michigan State now has to worry whether Bradley gave the world the blueprint to stopping Michigan State, which has few proven scoring options beyond Winston, Goins, and Matt McQuaid.
Many experts had penciled in Michigan State for a trip to the Elite Eight based on their draw, but if they play like this again there’s a good chance the Spartans will be going home early again. Michigan State is set to take on Big Ten rival Minnesota in the Round of 32, and the Golden Gophers were very impressive from beyond the arc in their win over Louisville earlier today.
Tom Izzo was hot during this game, exploding at freshman Aaron Henry at one point, and the Hall of Fame coach could be in line for another meltdown if the Spartans deliver another performance like the one they had against Bradley today.