Michigan State University Athletics
Grinz On Green: Spartan Veterans and Newcomers Balance NCAA Emotions
3/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Steve Grinczel, MSUSpartans.com On-Line Columnist
Where Travis Trice and Branden Dawson are feeling a sense of urgency going into their final NCAA Tournament, Tum Tum Nairn Jr. and Bryn Forbes are filled with anticipation for their first.
Managing the wide array of emotions will be as important for Michigan State as knowing the scouting report when the No. 7-seed Spartans open the tourney against No. 10 Georgia Friday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C.
As seniors, Trice and Dawson are old hands at the NCAA scene. Michigan State advanced to the Sweet 16 their freshman and sophomore seasons and lost in the East Regional final last season. They enter their final tournament knowing they are one defeat away from putting the green and white on for the last time.
"Being to two Sweet 16s and one Elite Eight, we came here to go to Final Fours and win championships, and we haven't been able to do that," Trice said. "So, there's definitely that extra motivation now."
Trice and Dawson have actually contributed to championship efforts. The Spartans shared the Big Ten regular season title and won the conference tournament in 2012 and captured the tournament crown again in '14.
But, this is their team and it's coming off an overtime loss to Wisconsin in Sunday's Big Ten Tournament final. The best way for Trice and Dawson to leave their mark on the program is by getting MSU back to the Final Four. The senior class of `14 was the first under 20th-year head coach Tom Izzo not to make it to a national semifinal and Trice doesn't want to be part of the second.
"I think that just adds to the pressure," Trice said. "Last year's class didn't make it, but we want to start that streak again. Everybody's in this tournament for a reason. You don't sneak or cheat your way in; you've got to earn it.
"So you've got to approach it like it's your last game, because it could be."
The air of desperation may not be as thick if Dawson's buzzer-beating shot against the Badgers wouldn't have rimmed out at the end of regulation. The loss left an emotional scar.
"I knew that if we would have won that game, how much of an effect winning it back-to-back, and winning it three times, would have had as far as myself and Travis," Dawson said. "I think I was the only guy who watched the (game) film on the bus (ride home). It was kind of hard.
"But, we can't hang our head. We have to move on. We just have to have faith in ourselves. Around this time of year, we just have a different swagger about us. We have a young team, so as far as myself, Travis and the other upperclassmen, we just have to lead these guys and I think they're all going to be on board with us. They'll see when we play Georgia. I'm going to tell them every possession counts and our margin for error is really not that big."
Forbes is a junior, but he played the previous two seasons with Cleveland State before transferring. Known for his outside shooting, Forbes is finally comfortable with Izzo's defensive demands and concepts.
"Midway through the season I started understanding the defense, knowing what I had to do, so it was a little less stressful (instead of) guessing sometimes what am I supposed to do?" Forbes said. "Once I got the hang of it and learned the defense, it changed a lot of things, and learning the plays and those types of things. Before you know those things down pat, it's kind of difficult because you're kind of worrying about it the whole time you're playing."
It's imperative for Forbes not to un-learn anything when the bright lights of the tournament shine on him.
"It's (about) just sticking to our principles and playing our game," he said. "When we (do that), I feel like we're one of the best teams in the nation. I don't think that' going to be difficult, especially after what happened (against Wisconsin).
"Losing one like that kind of makes everything a little more serious and a little more hungry because you knew you were supposed to have something big and we didn't get it done at the end."
Nairn's unbridled energy has been a key ingredient to MSU's success down the stretch. The Spartans are 8-3 since Izzo made the freshman point guard a fixture in the starting lineup.
Nairn can't believe how far he's come since first learning about the NCAA Tournament as an 11-year-old growing up in Nassau, Bahamas, where one day he came across a newspaper story about hard-charging Memphis guard Derrick Rose heading into the 2008 national championship game against Kansas.
With Rose as his inspiration, Nairn overcame his hardscrabble background that has him prepared for whatever adversity he may face in MSU's next game.
"In my whole life I just dreamed about it and for it to finally be here, it's just crazy how time flies and the opportunities God allows us to have," he said. "It's special for me, just because of where I came from. If you've never really lived it, you can't really understand where I'm coming from.
"I've got a lot of friends who are either dead or in jail, so for me being the only one to make it out from where I'm from to come into the United State to play basketball on the biggest stage, I just understand. Actually playing for Michigan State, I understand what kind of month this is. I know how important it is to survive and advance. Every game could be our last now and I'm excited to be a part of it."
