The Michigan State Spartans won the 2018 Las Vegas Invitational. What were the biggest takeaways from all of the teams involved in the event?
When the teams were originally announced for the 2018 Las Vegas Invitational, the intrigue of this event went up a few notches. Three of the four participants (North Carolina, UCLA, and Michigan State) have won national titles previously while Texas has made four Final Four appearances in school history.
As expected, the games were entertaining and down to the wire. In the semifinals, UNC missed a key three-pointer at the end to fall to Texas by three points in a high a high scoring affair. Meanwhile, Michigan State dominated UCLA in the other game, leaving them with effectively no chance at a second-half comeback.
But the Bruins came out firing against the Tar Heels in the consolation game, taking a halftime lead. Unfortunately for Coach Steve Alford and the team, the defensive issues came up again, allowing UNC to retake the lead and win by double-digits.
It was also looking like a double-digit win for Texas after grabbing a 19-point lead against Michigan State. But as hot as the offense was for the Longhorns in the first 10 minutes of the game, they were just as cold in the final 30, allowing the Spartans to slowly climb back before going away with the 78-68 win in the championship game.
After losing in the Champions Classic, the Spartans make a big statement by going 2-0. As for UCLA, they’re very likely going to be unranked in the next AP poll coming out. There will be seeding implications from this event but what are the biggest takeaways from each individual team going forward?