MSU vs. Syracuse in the NCAA tournament: Turning point, unsung hero, what's next

TURNING POINT

With Syracuse leading 50-49 with less than a minute remaining, Tyus Battle made his way up the court. He was slow and methodical, just like the Orange were all afternoon as they stayed within striking distance of Michigan State and eventually took the lead for good with more than four minutes left on the clock. Battle stopped at half-court and simply dribbled. He did crossovers and went between the legs as an anxious crowd inside Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena could only wait. Then, he made his move. He drove left, rising to hit a mid-range jumper with less than three seconds remaining on the shot clock. That gave the Orange a 52-49 lead. Maybe it wasn’t a turning point, but it was a dagger. The Spartans, like they did all day, missed shots — Inside and outside the arc. Down the stretch, it continued. MSU shot an ice-cold 25.8 percent Sunday. The stat sheet says 26, but it wasn’t a performance worthy of rounding up. And in the end, that’s why they are going home.

FINAL: No. 11 Syracuse 55, No. 3 Michigan State 53

QUICK START

Quick start? What’s that? It didn’t matter who Tom Izzo inserted into the lineup during the first half Sunday, nothing was working. The same can be said for the final 20 minutes, aside from an early surge that saw Cassius Winston and Miles Bridges hit a pair of 3s. The Spartans were a combined 8 of 20 from the field in the opening half while trying to crack Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone defense. To make things even more frustrating, MSU outrebounded Syracuse 12-1 on the offensive glass, yet led only 25-22 heading into the locker room. It would’ve been tied if not for a late magic act from junior Matt McQuaid, who had his 3-point shot rejected only to haul it back in and sink a shot before the first-half buzzer sounded.

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UNSUNG HERO

It’s hard to call anyone a hero after Sunday’s performance from the home-state team. It wasn’t pretty. No one expected it to be. But few foresaw this outcome. A hero never emerged on the court for the Spartans, but one showed up in the postgame locker room. To the surprise of no one who follows this team, Lourawls Nairn Jr. rallied the troops one last time. He delivered an inspiring speech. He put things in perspective. The man known as “Tum Tum” has been a leader — through good times and bad — throughout his four seasons in East Lansing. He played only two minutes against Syracuse, but he shined in front of his teammates and coaches, telling them that, “No one in this room has cancer. No one is dying. We don’t have that on this team.” It softened the blow, but the tears that rolled from his head coach’s eyes when he talked about the senior says everything you need to know about the kid from the Bahamas. It was his final game. And to the end, he was team-first. He will be missed.

QUOTABLE

“I wasn’t aggressive enough when I caught the ball in the zone. I didn’t look to make plays for myself. Instead, (I) just looked for my shooters. If I would’ve looked to be a little more aggressive off the dribble, I could’ve kept that defense honest and made them sag in a little bit to give even better looks for our shooters. At the end of the day, we just didn’t make the plays we needed to or hit the shots we needed to. That’s what happens this time of year. If you don’t hit the shots or make those winning plays, you are going home."

— MSU senior Ben Carter reflecting on missed opportunities and a poor shooting night that led to the second-round upset loss to Syracuse.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Spartans (30-5) were supposed to head west to Omaha for a much-anticipated Sweet 16 meeting with Duke. Instead, they were thrust into a long, agonizing offseason filled with what-ifs and question marks. This one hurts. That was the theme inside a somber MSU locker room deep inside Little Caesars Arena. Was this it for Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr.? That is the biggest on-court question entering the offseason.

— Cody Tucker