Couch: In thumping Tar Heels, Michigan State wins its first big game of Miles Bridges era

PORTLAND, Ore. – Miles Bridges doesn’t see Michigan State’s college basketball world in terms of Indiana, Purdue, Illinois and Wisconsin. In the blue-chipper community he comes from, the Big Ten hierarchy isn’t all that relevant. Players like Bridges don’t go to those schools.

So, to him, Sunday night’s 63-45 MSU win over North Carolina in one of the PK80 championship games was a monumental step for a group that, in his eyes, hadn’t done anything yet.

“We’ve lost basically all of our big games,” MSU sophomore star said, using his fingers to rattle off all of MSU’s big-game defeats over the last two seasons. “Kansas, Kentucky, Duke twice. For us to win this game against a top tier team like North Carolina, it just shows we’re learning how to win and becoming more mature.”

“Coach (Tom Izzo) and us, we’re starting to get over the hump,” Bridges continued, sitting at his locker at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. “I saw earlier that (North Carolina coach) Roy Williams' record against Coach Iz was 7-1. For Coach to get over that hump, hopefully we can get over the hump with the other North Carolina team soon.”

That’d be Duke. And that’s Bridges referring to MSU’s nemesis — in his eyes — by geography instead of name.

Bridges, like you, judges his time at MSU on national terms. This was a hurdle that had to be cleared. Not for the program, for this sophomore class. I think, for the first time, MSU’s players felt like an elite group on Sunday. They played like one enough to know they can be one, even if they aren’t entirely there yet.

And, not inconsequentially, what transpired Sunday and this past week in Portland rekindles the buzz the Spartans lost in losing to that other team from North Carolina in the Champions Classic earlier this month. To feel like a big-time team, you need your fan base to believe you are, too. The greeting from fans at Breslin Center on Thursday when Notre Dame visits for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge will be different now. It’ll reflect Sunday’s result and the renewed belief and excitement.

“It’s significant for us. It’s great momentum for us,” said sophomore Joshua Langford, who set career highs for points (23) and 3-pointers (5) against North Carolina. “But I think we have to do now is be more hungry. We know what we can do. We know what we can become. The scary thing is we didn’t have a great offensive game as a group. We did a great job defensively.”

They were outstanding defensively most of the week, holding DePaul, UConn and North Carolina collectively to 28 percent shooting, 21 percent from 3-point range, while out-rebounding their three opponents, 138-88, including a 52-36 edge on the glass over UNC, which normally dominates the boards. That’s the beginning of an identity this team can run with, especially two weeks after Duke beat them by hauling in 25 offensive rebounds.

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“What I think this does is reassure our guys,” Izzo said. “They come from this, the way basketball is right now, it’s all the pretty boy stuff. At the end of the day, most of the good teams are still winning by doing the dirty work.”

Defense led to offense on Sunday and, for stretches here and there, complete basketball. 

Everything MSU has, all of which has been written about — its depth, its star power, its post play, its point guard, its unprecedented length for an Izzo team — showed itself throughout this tournament. But not until Sunday could you see the makings of a championship-level team. 

MSU (5-1) caught North Carolina (5-1) on a frigid shooting night — the worst percentage-wise in program history — looking like anything but a top 10 squad. The defending national champion Tar Heels are considerably better than they seemed. The Spartans had something to do with that. 

Little things added up, right from the start. Freshman Jaren Jackson Jr.’s block from behind on Joel Berry’s layup attempt went the other way and, after a crisp and cerebral Jackson swing pass, became a Matt McQuaid 3-pointer. What should have been an 8-7 North Carolina lead was 10-6 MSU. The Spartans were pretty much in control the rest of the night. That’s the value of a player of Jackson’s length and talent — the sort of length and talent North Carolina often overwhelms opponents with. 

In this tournament, McQuaid (against DePaul), Cassius Winston (against UConn) and Langford (Sunday against UNC) each had one big performance. MSU’s backcourt is not deep. But seeing that trio each carry the team offensively on a given night makes me believe this team has enough backcourt oomph to get it done in a tournament situation.

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Langford’s showing Sunday was notably important. Because McQuaid, two-plus years in, has shown he’ll disappear. He’s a streaky shooter, sometimes a willing shooter, a good role player because he’ll always defend. Winston is going to be a star. But he’s a point guard and, on nights like Sunday, when he’s up against a seasoned and athletic counterpart like Berry and a defense that’s packed and won’t let him probe, he’s limited. Langford had to perform for MSU to win. He did. He’s the McDonald’s All-American who has yet to live up to that billing. 

He played like one Sunday. Not just because he shot well. Because he looked like he wanted to shoot and to attack. He looked the part.

“For Josh to get going, it was a big deal for us, man,” Bridges said. “He’s been down for a few days, for the last year, really. I’m just glad he could get over the hump and win a game for us.”

One game is not everything. Especially for Langford, who will have to prove it again and again for folks to trust it’ll be there. But this one game for this team was something. 

The Spartans have established themselves in their own minds — in a world where North Carolina, the other team from North Carolina, Kansas and Kentucky are about the only measuring sticks.

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.