Michigan State basketball's star talent illuminated by selflessness

EAST LANSING — The assists came from everywhere, from every spot on the floor, and from nearly every position. And when Michigan State plays like this, whipping the ball from side to side, from the paint to the perimeter and back, from one end of the arena to the other, there isn’t a team in the country that can beat them.

Not when they share the ball like they did Thursday night, amassing 30 assists in a 30-point demolition of Maryland. And certainly not when they shoot the ball so well from distance — the Spartans made 16 3-pointers against the Terrapins in their 91-61 win.

These are the kind of performances you expect from the No.1-ranked team in college basketball. Not every night, of course, but on nights when they play with purpose and togetherness and maturity.

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“I’ve been doing this a long time ...” said Maryland coach Mark Turgeon. “I can count on one hand losses like that.”

The Terrapins are without forward Justin Jackson (torn labrum) for the season, and the loss of his points (9.8 points) and size (8.1 rebounds) dented what Maryland was able to do. Still, as Turgeon pointed out, his team could’ve had five Justin Jacksons on Thursday night and it wasn’t going to be enough.

►WATCH: Izzo fired up after hustle play, makes Dantonio smile

Not with backup forward Kenny Goins making 3s. And MSU’s Jackson — Jaren Jr. — making five of six from deep. And Matt McQuaid and Josh Langford and Miles Bridges all shooting 50 percent or better from beyond the arc.

Yet it wasn’t just the shooting that overwhelmed Maryland. It was the threat of making buckets. From every spot on the floor.

When Tom Izzo rolls out his starting five — Langford, Bridges, Jackson, Nick Ward and Cassius Winston — he boasts a squad that can score from every position. That’s difficult enough to handle, but what separates this group is that none of the five feel they have to score when they touch the ball.

Izzo has talked since the fall about the selflessness of his best players. We saw what he meant Thursday.

Whether it was Winston curling bounce passes to Ward on the post after pick-and-rolls, or Langford passing up a look from mid-range to feed an open teammate, or Ward kicking the ball out from the block because of a double-team, or Bridges driving into the paint looking to drop it off to a cutter, the ball rarely stayed in place.

Thirty assists on 32 baskets?

“Tells you what kind of team I have,” marveled Izzo.

Even he can’t quite believe what he’s watching.

How often do you see the perpetually intense MSU coach smiling from the sideline? Or laughing with his guys when they head to the bench even after a mistake? Or sitting on the bench midway through the second half of a Big Ten game against a solid opponent?

That happens when your team is up 30. Sharing the ball. Talking on defense. Suffocating an opponent with skill and doggedness.

For the first five minutes of the game, Maryland played as well as it could. It made 80 percent of its shots and hit four 3s. And found itself trailing.

“We looked like a basketball team tonight,” said Izzo.

A scary thought for the rest of the league, considering MSU has been walloping almost everyone they’ve played.

It won’t be this way the rest of the Big Ten season. Even as down as the league is this year, road games remain difficult. Some team will play like Maryland did for the first five minutes Thursday and won’t let up. Some team will play above its head.

Besides, these Spartans are young. Four sophomores and a freshman make up the starting lineup. Another freshman has pushed his way into the rotation in Xavier Tillman.

The power forward played 12 minutes against Maryland, but it felt like more. Mostly because he dove on the floor for loose balls and gobbled up rebounds in heavy traffic.

“Those mitts,” said Izzo.

Once he gets a ball in them, it’s his. He is a throwback player in a way, the kind of beefy presence Izzo loved when he was shaping his program a couple of decades ago.

Tillman is fearless physically, which is adding an almost unfair dimension to arguably the most talented team Izzo has ever coached. That trait, along with the improving focus from his star players, means there will be other nights like Thursday this winter.

This team is too good for there not to be. What will tell us more are the nights when the shots aren’t falling so easily and the crowd is howling against them and the ball doesn’t flow so freely around the court.

Izzo knows those games are coming. And, in a way, welcomes them. He wants to keep pushing. Needs to keep pushing.

Because as good as his guys look now?

“We’ve got a long way to go,” he said. “Trust me.”

Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.

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