Travis Trice’s big day began well before the opening tip.
It started with a message from former MSU forward Draymond Green, who texted Trice the morning of the game reminding him of the goal at stake.
“Draymond Green actually this morning said don’t let this be your last game and I texted him back and said, I won’t,” Trice said. “But that was our mindset coming in. We knew they were a great team, we had to jump out on them early.”
Trice went on a personal 13-0 run at the beginning of the first half to jump start MSU’s 60-54 upset of No. 2 seed Virginia. MSU advanced to the Sweet Sixteen round for the seventh time in eight years.
The senior guard was electric during the run, converting transition layups and contested 3-pointers with ease.
“I just wanted to be aggressive,” Trice said. “My teammates did a good job at finding me though. I know Denzel (Valentine) hit me for two passes, and (Branden Dawson) hit me for one. I just wanted to keep playing. I didn’t want this to be my last game.”
Trice finished with 23 points, and his last bucket came with 2:52 left in the game. With MSU nursing a five point lead, Trice waved off an incoming screen from junior guard Matt Costello and nailed a deep 3-pointer with a defender on him to extend the lead to eight.
Virginia’s defense is one that puts heavy pressure on ball-handlers. Trice said he figured it would be easier to seek isolation buckets instead of fighting through traps to keep the ball moving.
“Sometimes it takes a while to pick up on what they want to do,” Trice said. “When I realized they were trying to get it out of my hands, I realized I’d rather go one on one. And then it’s easier to try and create rather than get trapped 30, 40 feet from the basket.”
Senior forward Branden Dawson, who had a good game of his own with 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, said he wasn’t surprised by Trice’s big game.
“He’s been in moments like this plenty of times and the shot he made, I think, late, I knew it was going in for a fact,” Dawson said. “That’s just what type of player he is. Big-time players make big-time plays. That’s what Travis did.”
Trice’s injury history has been well-documented. He was thankful for his opportunity to shine after the win.
“I haven’t had any surgeries but I’ve probably had every injury in the book that would make you shake your head,” Trice said. “I just think everything happens for a reason. I just thank God for literally just bringing me through it. It’s made me a better person, honestly, just all the things I’ve been through.”
