Michigan State Basketball: Get to the know the Spartans for your bracket

Cassius Winston is the MVP.

Cassius Winston is the real deal. No player since Magic Johnson has made those around them better. Denzel Valentine, Drew Neitzel, Mateen Cleaves, Steve Smith, Shawn Respert and Scott Skiles are former Spartan guards and players who did great things at Michigan State. Others like Draymond Green, Gary Harris, and now Jaren Jackson Jr. have flourished in the NBA since leaving East Lansing. However, Winston has found a way, through all of the injuries and adversities that the Spartans have had to endure this year, to make Michigan State flourish this season. He simply has done more with less and has elevated the play of his teammates to levels not witnessed before.

Seniors Kenny Goins and Matt McQuaid have turned into full-time starters and main contributors due to Winston’s ball distribution and his ability to draw double teams on ball screen traps. Xavier Tillman and Nick Ward, when healthy, have greatly benefited from Winston’s ability to get the ball in the post and find the big men rolling to the basket off of screen and rolls. Winston has mentored and taught a true freshmen Aaron Henry on how to be an effective guard on both ends. He simply finds so many different ways to elevate his teammates games week after week.

When it comes to crunch time, no other player in college basketball can almost single handily take over a game not just by scoring but by his overall ability to get his teammates to take their games to a whole another level. He has also improved immensely since last season, which gets lost in the conversation about him often. When Miles Bridges and Jackson left for the NBA, many thought the Spartans would not have high expectations this season. Winston just decided that he was going to take over and he did that and more.