Miles Bridges came back to Michigan State for this moment. The Spartans forward could have been an NBA lottery pick a year ago, but shocked the basketball world by choosing to return for his sophomore year. The goal was always to win a national championship.
Miles Bridges is playing like a star. That’s huge for Michigan State’s March Madness chances
Bridges started the NCAA tournament on fire.
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
If he keeps playing like this, MSU is going to have a chance.
Bridges was electric in Michigan State’s 82-78 win over Bucknell in opening round play on Friday, finishing with 29 points, nine rebounds and four assists. He did most of his damage in the second half after the Spartans only took a four-point lead into the break.
That’s when Bridges went off, scoring 19 points in the final 20 minutes. He hit pull-up jumpers in the halfcourt, drained open threes and finished at the rim at will. The highlight of his performance had to be this tip-dunk:
Look at this still:
Bridges is still projected as a lottery pick
Here’s what we wrote about Bridges in our mock draft earlier this week, where he was projected to go No. 11 overall:
11. Los Angeles Clippers - Miles Bridges, SF, Michigan State
Bridges is a monster athlete with good shooting touch who plays a premium position as a wing. He can be deadly as a cutter on the baseline or a lob target, thanks to his effortless ability to finish above the rim. He’s also a solid shooter — hitting 37.8 percent of his threes across two college seasons on over five attempts per game.
The frustrating thing about Bridges is he appears too willing to settle for a jumper. A player as strong and athletic as he is should be able to get to the rim off the bounce. Maybe it will happen as he grows in the league and his ball-handling ability improves.
Bridges is still pegged in the same range he was last year. What makes Michigan State so dangerous is he’s not even the most highly-touted prospect on his own team. Our same mock draft had Jaren Jackson Jr. at No. 3 overall.
Michigan State now faces the winner of TCU/Syracuse, with a possible Sweet 16 matchup vs. Duke looming. The Midwest region is incredibly tough, but MSU will have a chance if Bridges keeps cooking.
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