Blood dripped from his upper lip and onto his jersey after a celebratory head butt from teammate Shannon Brown after a big dunk and a foul.
Looking to extend MSU's lead in double overtime, senior forward Matt Trannon stepped to the free-throw line.
Despite the blood, despite the thousands of white towels spinning around behind the basket, despite his relative lack of experience from the charity stripe, Trannon swished it.
It was a crucial moment of the game — one that the Spartans would go on to win.
Trannon set career-highs in points, 14, and rebounds, 11, in the game.
"He's a tough, athletic guy who can check, and he's learning to have the toughness of a basketball player instead of a football guy," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "Basketball guys don't come out with bloody noses — football guys do. I guess that's the only negative he's brought to the table."
Trannon missed the rest of the second overtime while getting care for the cut. After the game, he needed a single stitch to close the wound.
With the loss of Alan Anderson, Izzo lost his athletic swingman who could guard any position from power forward to point guard.
Well, MSU football coach John L. Smith's loss has certainly become Izzo's gain.
When Smith's squad failed to qualify for a bowl game, Izzo got Trannon earlier than expected, considering the football team's hot start.
"We said in the beginning of the year that this team doesn't have that 6-6, 6-7 guy that we've always had here that can guard three or four positions," Izzo said. "When he brought that, I think it improved our team."
Trannon got the start at power forward against Indiana because he's that 6-foot-6 guy who can guard a multitude of players. He started again against Ohio State. Now he has locked down the spot, which was in turmoil all season but not before Izzo sat him down for a talk.
"He told me he was putting a big responsibility on me," Trannon said. "He wants me to go to class everyday; he wants me to do everything right so I can keep the starting job."
But do the increased minutes — he's played 33 and 40 minutes since taking over the starting role — take a toll on him because of his nonstop activity? Maybe a little.
"I'm loving it. It's tiring from time to time, but it's all right with me," he said.
Coming in, Trannon wasn't expected to contribute much on the offensive end. All that was needed out of him was solid play on the defensive end and a keep-it-simple approach on offense. Now, he's becoming the total package and Izzo couldn't be happier.
"He cares about checking. He understands the game," Izzo said. "He's a lot like Antonio Smith. He has a great, great understanding of the game of basketball. He's just another guy from Flint who really sees the whole picture defensively, understands what his role is offensively, very easy guy to coach. And I think he's getting in basketball shape."
Outside of athletics, Trannon doesn't get a lot of time to himself. And when he does, it's to "study and sleep."
"I don't see how he does it," senior center Paul Davis said. "I wouldn't do it. He gets two days off before basketball season and in a way, this is the same, maybe harder in the way we go at it because of our schedule."
But Trannon and Izzo need to savor the flavor while it lasts, because, while he'll be back for football in the fall, this will be Trannon's last chance at a championship on the hardwood. He is on pace to graduate in December.
"I know my purpose of being here and what I come in here to do is to help the team win, get back to the Final Four, try to win the national championship," Trannon said. "That's my goal for them."
But the big question is: Which coach does Trannon like playing for more, Izzo or Smith?
Well, as expected, he likes them both equally.
"They're both very special people in my life right now," Trannon said. "They keep me on task, keep me focused and remind of what my job is to do here at school — to get a degree."
