Michigan State Basketball: 3 takeaways from Spartans home win over Iowa

Cassius Winston stepped up when Michigan State needed him most

It is no secret that Winston has had a very difficult season emotionally off the court due to the tragic loss of his brother Zachary. Winston on the court, has offensively has his ups and downs as witnessed when comparing his offensive output in the first half to the second half in the game against Iowa. Winston against the Hawkeyes in the first half only had one point. However, in the 2nd half against Iowa, he put up 19 points behind four three-pointers. But it was the little things he did which helped Michigan State secure 2nd place in the Big Ten standing.

One thing that has gone unnoticed is the improvement in Winston’s on-ball defense. It is not to say that Winston is a liability on defense, but he will not be on the Big Ten all defense team at the end of the season either. At the end of the game, he played superb defense by not giving the Hawkeyes good looks beyond the arch in the final minutes of the game. Unlike against Maryland, the Spartan guards including Winston were able to rotate effectively when the Iowa guards drove the lane and kicked it out for three-point looks.

Winston, for instance, was praised by the ESPN commentators for his ability to rotate late in the game preventing the Hawkeyes from making a three-pointer which would have given Iowa a chance to tie the game with under two minutes left in the game. Winston also did what he usually does which gets others involved offensively.

Winston had nine assists against Iowa and he played a team-high 37 minutes. He was able to distribute the ball as he often does but once he was making his shots in the 2nd half, the Hawkeyes defense began to unravel as the Spartans led by Winston made run after run to eventually take the lead.

His enthusiasm is contagious and once he made three after three, the crowd at the Breslin center got louder and louder and the electricity in East Lansing could be felt as far as the nearby state capital. Winston is the leader of this team and as a great captain usually does, he stepped up when he was needed the most.

Michigan State will need Winston to step up like he did when he scored 32 points in the Spartans victory against Michigan if the Spartans have any chance of getting the 3rd straight Big Ten regular-season title, 2nd straight Big Ten Tournament title, and most importantly their second straight Final Four appearance. Don’t underestimate Winston and his ability to lead because he may be the reason the Spartans hoist up multiple banners again by the end of this season.