Des Moines, Iowa -- The good ones know when to turn it on. The great ones can.
The funny part about Cassius Winston's latest takeover is there weren't any signs it was coming, not on this day, at least. He scuffled through the first half Saturday against Minnesota, even as the Spartans cruised to a 14-point lead at the break.
He might not look it, but Winston is banged up. He's got an aching toe, plus more mileage on his body than almost any player in college basketball this season. After Winston rescued the Spartans from another early meltdown in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Tom Izzo acknowledged, I've ridden that kid like Seattle Slew.
On Saturday, Winston looked a little worse for the wear. His teammates picked him up in the early going, and the lead swelled to 17 early in the second half. For a rare moment, it looked like the Spartans might not need their best player.
Then, bang, Minnesota scored eight in a row, lighting up a gold-and-maroon crowd that was here for the upset. The building was rocking and the lead was down to nine.
"I felt that momentum going," Winston said, "and I just felt like I needed to make some plays."
So he grabbed a rebound on the defensive end and converted a jumper to stop the bleeding. Then a steal. Then another jumper, this one in transition. Then another steal. The Spartans were off and running again, and this time Winston spotted up on the three-point line. He took a pass from Aaron Henry, rose on legs that suddenly looked fresh and banggggg.
Seven points in 57 seconds. Winston flexed his arms and roared. The lead was back to 16 with 12:34 to play, and the building was extinguished. Minnesota would never get close again.
"He was a one-man wrecking crew," said Izzo. "And before that, a little shaky on some things. I think he grew another step, to be honest with you."
For all the signature moments Winston has produced this season, for all the times he's come to the rescue when the Spartans are in trouble, this one didn't seem likely. In a huddle earlier in the second half, Izzo said, Winston admitted Coach, I'm hurtin'. So Izzo, as he has all year, challenged him to reach another level.
And Winston answered the bell.
Maybe we should have known he would. Maybe we were naïve to think he wouldn't. But take it from Kenny Goins, whose nine points in the first half were a big reason Michigan State rarely broke a sweat.
"Honestly, I don't think anyone thought that he was going to do that," said Kenny Goins. "It kind of came as a surprise to us. But once he started it, we were all just like, here he goes."
Winston hobbled into the locker room after the game, looking like a man three times his age. A crowd of reporters was already huddled around his locker. Winston plopped down in his chair, and the lights from the cameras lit up his face. He looked relieved more than anything; he later said he was.
He was soon asked about his seven-point outburst. He was asked, specifically, if he knew it was time to simply take over. Winston smiled and softy chuckled, as if it could be so easy. As if he could flip a switch at any time and score at will. But then, that's exactly what he did. And that's exactly what he's done.
"He's one of those guys who can feel the energy pick up," said Xavier Tillman, who led the team with 14 points. "When the crowd started getting into it and the energy peaked, he was like, 'Okay it's time for me to turn it on, too."
Tillman would disagree with Goins. He saw this coming. Forget all the evidence in games. Tillman sees it basically every day in practice. Whenever the first-team offense is slumping, he said, Winston will simply take the ball, run a play and create a bucket. As if it could be so easy.
When he talks about Winston, Tillman talks with pride. It's the same for the rest of the locker room. This is Cash, a smooth cat and a quiet killer. Big Ten Player of the Year. And Cash is their guy. That pride swells on days and in moments like this. Tillman found himself strutting back to the huddle after Winston went Winston and Minnesota called a timeout.
"I felt a little cocky with it," Tillman smiled. "Like, he did it, but I was like, 'That's Cash. That's what he does. You guys didn't know that he was going to do that – I did.'"
As Michigan State heads into the Sweet 16, a potential matchup with Duke looming in the Elite 8, it will begin to find itself outmanned in terms of athleticism and talent. This isn't a team of NBA players. Winston may not be one himself. But it's Winston who will close that gap, who will keep the Spartans afloat when the waters get rough.
"When you got something to fall back on and his name's Cassius Winston," said Goins, "I think we all feel pretty good."
At the beginning of the season, Winston told himself he was getting past the first weekend of the Tournament. He had failed his first two tries, and he couldn't let that happen again. He steered his team through a scare on Thursday. On Saturday his team took the wheel, until Winston sensed it was his turn to drive.
It took him 57 seconds to send the Spartans to the Sweet 16.
The good ones know. The great ones can.
