Andre Hutson and the Spartans know someone will always step up. Sure, you look at the aggressive nature, the fact that the Spartans have led the nation in rebounding differential for two consecutive campaigns now, and you conclude that this is a roughhouse bunch steeped in heavy mettle. Sometimes what you miss, however, is that Michigan State spends a good portion of every game just killing you softly with a sing-song style that emphasizes attention to detail and fundamentals. And what too often is ignored as well is that the Spartans possess a collective mindset that allows them to take a punch to the chin and come back jab, jab, jabbing. And it seems to be a different guy every time out.
Somebody usually finds a way.
But it was Thomas, who has been painfully inconsistent much of the season, who was the Spartans' most obvious constant in Sunday's hard-fought victory. An import from Brampton, Ontario, who has labored five years in the program and wasted away ample hours trying to explain how a kid who never even touched a basketball until high school could earn a scholarship, Thomas scored a career-high 19 points and shot 8 of 10 from the field. Not bad for a player who had managed double digits just five times in 31 games this season and had never tallied more than 13 points during his East Lansing tenure. From the opening minutes of the game, when Thomas nailed a pair of 3-pointers form the left corner, the quietest of the Spartans starters had a solution for the daunting matchup zone coach Tom Izzo had spent nearly 10 hours dissecting on videotape. The way Thomas performed, the Michigan State coach could have saved himself the misery of a couple video sessions that called for heavy doses of Visine, and simply permitted the willowy senior to go about his business in authoring a one-man highlight reel.