MSU notes: Miles Bridges scores 20 with more diverse attack
EAST LANSING – The chants of “one more year” echoed throughout the Breslin Center.
Miles Bridges didn’t pay attention to them. He was busy posting up on the low block and making himself wide. He accepted the pass and then swooped in for a layup, initiating contact that drew a whistle.
His celebration was brief. Bridges quickly pointed at Tom Izzo as the ball fell through the basket, and his coach gave him a huge smile.
“He just told me to stay aggressive in the post,” Bridges said after the Spartans’ 88-72 win Thursday. “He just said, ‘I told you it would work,’ and I just started laughing.”
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Bridges scored 20 points, his most since going off for a career-high 33 against Purdue on Jan. 24. However, it was the way he made his 8 of 13 shots and some of the little things that made Izzo so happy.
More post-ups? Check. More dribble-drives in the middle and along the baseline? Yep. Fewer but more efficient jumpers? Indeed.
Bridges had nine of his points during the Spartans’ 21-5 pull-away near the end of the first half. When a reporter mentioned the freshman “can’t keep that pace up forever,” Izzo quickly quipped, “Why not?”
“We’re really trying to get him to post up and go to the basket,” Izzo said. “I thought he’s starting to bring more parts to his game. The driving is really critical.”
DOMINANT EFFORT: Izzo was concerned about the Spartans’ inconsistencies on defense, but he was certainly happy with what he saw from their offense.
MSU dominated Nebraska in the paint, outscoring the Cornhuskers 42-28 and owning an 18-3 edge in second-chance points thanks to 12 offensive rebounds. The Spartans also pushed the pace at times, a 14-8 fast-break advantage.
“They really got us every way you could,” Nebraska coach Tim Miles said. “I just thought they were on the attack and we weren’t.”
Just as important, MSU protected the ball. After yielding five turnovers in the first 10:02, the Spartans committed just four more for the rest of the game.
“We got hurt some early on foolish turnovers,” Izzo said. “And then we settled down and played good against a team that has been playing good.”
ELLIS JITTERS: Two of those early turnovers came during Alvin Ellis’ starting stint, his first since his sophomore season and the third of his career.
Ellis, who replaced injured fellow senior Eron Harris at shooting guard, took a quick seat on the bench and got an earful of Izzo from a close distance. He also struggled shooting, going just 1-for-6, but finished with seven points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal and a block in 28 minutes.
Izzo said he plans to keep Ellis in the starting lineup moving forward.
“He’s been waiting for 3 1/2 years to start, and I was worried that he might try to overdo it a little bit,” Izzo said. “But he settled down, too.”
Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@chrissolari.