Afterward, darn near every one of Tillman’s teammates, perhaps out of reflex, credited Winston for the pass. Freshman Aaron Henry. Senior Matt McQuaid. Even Goins, standing on the court mere minutes after the shot went down, confetti gathered around his feet, snubbed Tillman on the assist.
“When Cassius has the ball you gotta be ready to shoot,” Goins said. “I just spotted up. He’s such a good player, he finds me even when he’s looking for his own shot.”
Man, what’s a guy gotta do for some recognition around here?
“He's done what people tell you to do,” Tom Izzo said on Tuesday. “He's taken the ball and he's run with it."
Tillman admits his first game as a starter was difficult. He wasn’t physically prepared for the grind of playing 30-plus minutes. Nevertheless, he put up a career-high 19 points as part of a double-double in a win over Rutgers. His conditioning caught up a couple games later, and now he’s a couple games from helping his team make history. Izzo originally intended to reinsert Ward in the starting lineup when he came back, and he made Tillman aware of this when the decision drew near. Tillman was more than okay with returning to the bench.
“Some guys say that because they're talking to the head coach,” Izzo said. “And I looked at him and I said, ‘Well, you're crazy if you don't want to start.’ He said, ‘I want to start, but I want to do what's best for the team.’”
Distilled into a single interaction, that's Xavier Tillman.
“I’m not a selfish dude,” he said, “in the slightest bit.”
And this is not a selfish team. It’s a group of guys who want to win for each other, whatever that might mean for each one of them personally. Izzo ultimately decided to keep Tillman in the starting five – because how could he not – and Ward has taken his new role in stride. Tillman, meanwhile, has turned into a force on both ends of the floor, most notably on offense. This was something he set his mind to after grabbing 12 rebounds but scoring just five points – stats he can still recite – in Michigan State’s shocking second-round exit in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
“I was like, ‘Okay, I gotta contribute in a different way,’” he said. “And that’s what I worked on the whole summer, being more aggressive for the team.”
Along with Winston, Tillman spent almost his entire offseason on campus, working with the team’s strength and conditioning staff. He shed 20 pounds, down to his playing weight of 240, and got stronger and quicker in the process. It showed in spurts early in the season, but Tillman was still coming off the bench and only playing about 20 minutes per game. He needed an opportunity, and then he got one. After averaging 8.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game prior to Ward’s injury, Tillman has averaged 13.8 points and 8.1 rebounds since.
Those numers are even better in the Tournament.
“People underestimate him,” said Ward. “They still do. But he’s improved a lot. Especially when he had to step up, he did a great job.”
For Tillman, it’s been one new challenge after another. Ahead of the Duke game, Izzo turned to him to contain the uncontainable Zion. He figured Tillman, with his strength and physicality, was Michigan State’s best bet. The nation’s best player wound up with 24 points and 14 rebounds, but a good chunk of his production came with Tillman off the floor due to foul trouble. When they were both in the game, Tillman held his own. He finished with 19 points and nine boards – plus that one assist – including a highlight-reel dunk late in the game after he helped deny Williamson a pass in the post and then beat him down the floor.
Hey, look, a little recognition.
“I’ve seen him do that,” said Henry. “When I saw it in his eyes, I’m like, he finna dunk this one.”
“People really don’t know that side of him,” said Ward, “but he’s bringing it out now.”
“X, man,” said Henry, “even though Kenny hit the shot and Cash did his thing, he’s my player of the game.”
Overlooked?
"Absolutey," said Henry. "Without a doubt."
Why?
"Because what we see, what the coaches see," said assistant Dane Fife, "is different than what the stats show and the public sees. X does a lot of things that are invisible. He’s a lot like Draymond in that way, where he makes up for a lot of mistakes just because he’s got such an incredible IQ for the game.”
Beyond the increased production, it's those little things that are easy to miss.
“Making up for defensive mistakes, switches, helping at the rim even though it’s not his help. It’s hard to tell, but he’s probably our best screener,” Fife said. “He understands angles, he understands the value of setting a good screen will lead to him getting easier baskets, and that’s tough to convince players of these days.
“But he’s just the ultimate glue, team guy. He’s getting to the point where he can play two positions, and he knows every play at both positions. It’s hard to keep him off the floor.”
“It’s very tart,” he said.
Then Tillman took another sip, smiled and said, “I drink what they give me, I guess.”