Michigan State Basketball: Get to the know the Spartans for your bracket
By Ryan Kay
How good is the rest of the team?
Here is a short synopsis of the rest of the players for the Spartans.
Kenny Goins, like Winston, has really elevated his overall play especially with his offense. Goins has also been a good, if not great, rebounder and reliable defender but his confidence in his offensive game and his 3-point shooting has really been good this season. He has also showed leadership and determination this season on the court.
Matt McQuaid, like Goins, became a full-time starter this season. He missed a couple of games early in the season due to injury but has really developed as a reliable 3-point shooter. He has always been an undervalued defender but some had thought this season that he might have been the best defender in the Big Ten. Near the end of the season, he showed that he could be counted on to make the key basket to propel the Spartans to victory.
Xavier Tillman, like Ward, transformed himself in the off season to become one of the best big men in the Big Ten. He showed spurts of greatness from time to time early and midway in the season and we saw how well he can defend wings and even guard on screen and rolls. He displayed tremendous athleticism for a big man and really was a key contributor in helping the Spartans win a Big Ten title. He was awarded with the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year award.
Aaron Henry is like no other Spartan. He was the only true freshman of the five to not only see significant minutes throughout the season but to become a full=time starter. He took his defense to a whole new level near the end of the season. His offense has improved throughout the season and his confidence continues to grow.
Nick Ward, prior to his injury, was in contention for make the Big Ten Conference All-First Team. Unfortunately, his injury to his hand has had him miss significant time towards the end of regular season conference play and has seen limited time in the conference tournament. The hope is to have him get back to how he was playing earlier in the season to help aid the Spartans in a deep tournament run.