Grinz On Green: Spartans Motivated By Alums

Feb. 12, 2017

By Steve Grinczel, MSUSpartans.com Online Columnist

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Steve Polonowski, Anthony Mull, Dujuan Wiley, Mat Ishbia, Jason Andreas, Tim Bograkos, Drew Neitzel, Paul Davis, Anthony Ianni, Colby Wollenman…

So many stages of Michigan State's ongoing 22-year journey under Coach Tom Izzo were reflected by the faces looking down from the section occupied by former Spartan players during Saturday's game between MSU and Iowa in the Breslin Center Saturday night.

So many who played a part in the seven Final Fours, seven Big Ten championships and the 19 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances had returned for Izzo's annual alumni weekend, of course wanting for it to continue next month.

So much riding on this one game, almost as though the current Michigan State players were bearing all of that collective success on their shoulders.

But instead of buckling under the weight of their predecessors' glare, the Spartans responded with rebounds and defense just as the old-timers did with machine-like regularity back in their day. Not even 21 turnovers -- matching the season-high established in Tuesday's loss at Michigan -- was going to prevent Michigan State from delivering a dominating 77-66 win.

"Those alumni did a great job of just winning, winning and winning," said freshman forward Miles Bridges, who led all scorers with 16 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds. "That's what we need to do. That's what Michigan State is known for and we're just trying to pick up where they left off."

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said the way Bridges played in the first half, while scoring 14 of MSU's 31 points, proved to be the difference in the game at the end. But when he atoned for a teammate's turnover by racing back to block Ahmad Wagner's layup attempt off the rim and backboard to preserve a 13-point lead, the old Spartan dawgs leapt to their feet in appreciation.

"Michigan State is really known for our defense and our hustle, so that probably just gave them flashbacks to what they used to do," Bridges said. "It always feels good to get a win, but to do it in front of the alumni makes it mean that much more for us."

Izzo has never minced words about how important it is for his players to respect those who came before them and honor what they built with comparable effort.

However, given the inconsistent nature of this freshman-laden team, Izzo would have been rightfully uneasy about what to expect from it going into the game, especially in light of the 86-57 loss at U-M.

"I said we've got to get more consistent," Izzo said. "We are consistent. We're consistently turning the ball over. We're consistently playing parts of games. (But) this was a big win for us. (The Hawkeyes) were playing pretty good and we did an unbelievable job defensively and an unbelievable job rebounding the ball.

"I just can't figure out how to keep this energy level up."

Since declaring every game "Alumni Day" isn't an option, he might just have to rely on the epiphany inspired by his former charges carrying over to Tuesday's home game against Ohio State and beyond. In addition to Bridges, Nick Ward scored 14 points, Cassius Winston had 12 and Joshua Langford added 11 to mark the first time all four members of MSU's heralded freshman class reached double figures. The four frosh also combined for 34 of the Spartans' 46 second-half points.

Langford's all-but invisible three-point performance in the first half, and his impactful eight-point finish in the second called to Izzo's mind one of his all-time greats in the span of a 40-minute setting: Charlie Bell as a freshman and sophomore and Charlie Bell as a junior and senior.

"With the alums here, that was definitely something that was in the back of my mind," said Langford, who didn't attempt a shot against the Wolverines. "We didn't want to let them down again because I felt like we already did that in the Michigan game, and I feel like everybody else felt the same way.

"The key to mental toughness is staying even-keeled and I think that's what we did. I think we did the alumni proud except from the turnovers standpoint. Coach always talks to me about Charlie Bell and Gary Harris, two of the wings he thinks I'm kind of similar to, and so I just wanted to come in tonight and be more aggressive in every aspect. I think my teammates had the same mindset as well."

Michigan State out-rebounded the Hawkeyes 46-32 while holding them to 32.8-percent shooting from the field, 12.5 percentage points lower than their season average. Meantime, seniors Eron Harris and Alvin Ellis III teamed up to hold Peter Jok to 13 points, eight below is league-leading average, on 2-for-11 shooting.

"This is always a special night, so we knew we had to get something done for our veterans coming back," said Harris. "We wanted to send them home the right way, but we also needed a big win and their spirit really helped us. Now we just have to take that over to the next game."

Hanging above the alumni were the banners they helped raise, a reminder the Spartans don't take lightly.

"We definitely want to be a part of that," Harris said. "We have our own dreams and aspirations but at the same time we look up to those guys and want to exceed their expectations for us."

That can't, and won't, happen, Izzo Lamented, if MSU doesn't do a better job of taking care of the ball.

"Good thing I'm going to have a party with my old guys because that is frustrating," he said of the turnovers. "But I'm going to try to go past that and say we ran the ball better. I'm not going to lie to you; I'm not sure I'm understanding it. That has to change. There's no way on God's green earth that your team can turn it over 21-21 (in back-to-back games). That's like six interceptions in football with 15 penalties."

To their credit, the freshmen accounted for only six turnovers. Ward was as "dialed-in" as Izzo has seen him, even after collecting two early fouls that limited him to four minutes of playing time in the first half, and like Langford, Winston came on strongest after intermission.

"To defend and rebound, which I say is how you win games…, was the difference in the game," Izzo said. "All three of them (Langford, Ward and Winston) have the same issues and have got to learn to play with some passion and intensity. I even saw Josh jump up and down a couple times. It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?

"But it was important. They're getting better, but it's a process. I really am thrilled about the win because it's hard to come off your rivalry game, play as poorly as we did, and bounce back. That is very hard to do, especially for a lot of young kids. I thought we had energy in practice and for the most part we played with a lot more today and we won the way you've got to win down the stretch now â€" you've got to defend and you've got to rebound, and not turn the ball over.

"Two out of three we did at a very high level."

As the final minute wound down, Mike Peplowski, Jon Zulauf, George Papadakos and the rest of the former MSU players again rose to their feet for an approving standing ovation, still playing a role in the program's success.

"Having them here brings a lot more passion and energy to us because they've been through the wars here and when you play in front of them you don't want to let them down," said junior point guard Tum Tum Nairn. "It's fun to play in front of them, especially when you get a win. They sparked us.

"Nobody would be happy with the 21 turnovers but I think they were definitely proud of us for the rebounding and the way we defended."