After beating Penn 77-52 in the first round of the Coca-Cola Spartan Classic, junior guard Chris Hill knew MSU was on the right track toward achieving the goals MSU set for itself at the beginning of the season.
"This is a very serious tournament for us; it's our first opportunity to win a championship this season, and that's how we're trying to go at it," Hill said.
In the final game, the Spartans defeated DePaul 89-81 to be crowned champions of the annual holiday tournament for the 17th time in 21 attempts.
This tourney was different than others in a historical sense because the teams competing were the schools that made up the 1979 Final Four. This season marks the 25th anniversary of that year, when Earvin "Magic" Johnson led MSU to its first national championship.
History was sidelined early though, after Indiana State failed to defeat DePaul in its semifinal game Saturday.
The Blue Demons advanced to the final game after beating the Sycamores, gaining revenge on the team that was led by basketball legend Larry Bird and beat them in 1979.
Historical nostalgia aside, MSU head coach Tom Izzo called the weekend a success.
"This was a great tournament, and I think progress is being made," Izzo said. "I said this would be the best tournament we have ever had here, and it certainly lived up to its billing."
Unlike Saturday, when MSU started slow against the Quakers, the Spartans got on the board early against the Blue Demons, once again starting four guards.
Hill and freshman guard Shannon Brown led the offensive attack, scoring 12 of MSU's first 14 points. But it was junior guard Kelvin Torbert's consistency and junior swingman Alan Anderson's late buckets that locked the win for the Spartans.
"Kelvin did some great things, and we are starting to see more of him," Izzo said. "I was really impressed that Alan rose up."
Torbert was named the tournament's MVP by the media after leading MSU in scoring in the championship game with 19 points to go along with four assists, four rebounds and three steals. Anderson scored all 16 of his points in the final 12 minutes.
All together, MSU's experienced juniors - Hill, Torbert and Anderson - combined for 51 points, 17 assists (a career-high 11 from Hill), 11 rebounds and five steals. Their performance allowed MSU to raise the trophy at the end of the day, something Spartan players want to see more of.
"It's good for us because it's early in the year," senior center Jason Andreas said. "We're still not where we need to be, and for us to win a championship this early kind of gets that pressure off you a little bit.
"And it kind of shows the younger guys, which we have quite a few on this team, what it feels like to win a championship."
The senior captain also said the confidence and mental toughness that some of MSU's younger players gained playing back-to-back games in the tournament will help them in the long run.
"It's a good learning experience for the young guys - it kind of gets that out of the way early for them," Andreas said.
One of those players - Brown, who made the All-Tournament team after scoring in double digits both games - enjoyed his first championship at the collegiate level and was hungry for more.
"That's one of the reasons I came here," Brown said, "because I knew this was one of the elite teams that can win championships. And hopefully, this is one of many."
Jon Malavolti can be reached at malavol2@msu.edu.
