With 15:56 remaining in the first half in the team's win over Rutgers, Bridges sat at the scorer's table waiting for his announcement. Upon his name being called, the crowd rose to its feet in loud ovation and celebration as MSU’s star was back.

The first play call — a Bridges special — was a back screen set by fifth-year senior guard Eron Harris, Bridges sprinted toward the basket. A lob tossed by sophomore guard Matt McQuaid found the rising Bridges, who turned his two-handed catch into a two-handed slam.

“You know, we set it up, we didn’t know if it would work, and it did,” Izzo said. “It was a great pass. I don’t know, I think that took the weight of the world off his shoulders too, a little bit. I was happy for him.”

Bridges sparkled on one more dunk in the second half. After forcing a Rutgers turnover, Bridges pushed the ball up to freshman guard Cassius Winston in transition. As Winston approached the basket, he peeked over his left shoulder toward the trailing Bridges. With a gentle toss in front of the rim, Bridges cocked back the ball with his right arm and tomahawked a vicious dunk.

“I was actually surprised I got up that high because I haven’t done it in a while,” Bridges said.

Bridges ended his night with six points, adding six rebounds in 17 minutes played.

Although six points isn’t as dazzling a performance as the team's leading scorer usually demonstrates, finally, Bridges saw his first action in 36 days. Bridges said he favored his foot during their contest, but with help from his teammates, it was a good return.

“My teammates kept me engaged and everything they kept saying to me just helped me stay engaged into the game,” Bridges said. “The coaches were on me, so I was getting used to that and I wasn’t forcing anything. That is what got me going.”

Bridges said his focus during his time off was on the defensive side. Along with his forced turnover, Bridges added two blocks. MSU as a team recorded 10 blocks against the Scarlet Knights.

“I just wanted to go out and play hard, play good on defense,” Bridges said. “Before I left, I wasn’t really defensive minded, so now I’m trying to get to that level because that’s what we need to do to win.”

While his performance on the stats sheet was underwhelming compared to what fans have seen in the past, his teammates said they saw his impact all across the floor.

“He made energy plays, he was always around the ball,” McQuaid said. “He was on those ball screens, little things like that, just on top of ball screens, just showing the defense he’s there that can affect him.”

While he contributed physically, the return of Bridges saw a mental uplifting of team spirits, especially with his freshman class of Winston, forward Nick Ward and guard Joshua Langford.  

“We needed him, we need him every game, he’s a big part of our team,” Ward said. “There was a lot more energy because Miles was out there, you can tell in warmups. Everybody’s dunking, screaming, having fun, just like we used to.”

MSU thus far is off to a hot start in Big Ten play after going 3-0 with wins over Minnesota, Northwestern and Rutgers. The Spartans will head on the road against Penn State on Jan. 7 at The Palestra for their next match. The game is set to tip-off at 1 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.

“I felt great, I hate sitting out,” Bridges said. “That was probably one of the worst things that I’ve had to do in my life, but my teammates helped me back so I feel like I’m back now.”