“They made some big shots,” Self said. “They made some timely threes, and we didn’t finish down the stretch and we didn’t guard them I thought like we did the majority of the first 30 minutes of the game, and then Valentine just took over. He was great tonight.”

The victory in come-from-behind fashion is an obvious confidence booster. The player is may have impressed the most was freshman Matt McQuaid, who after coming to MSU from Duncanville, Texas, was playing in an NBA arena in front of thousands for the first time.

“Well, he is hard on himself, but his eyes, man I felt like I was driving through the UP seeing them deer jump out,” Izzo said. “It was unbelievable. I kept saying ‘Matt’ and he didn’t hear me, he was probably thinking about all the people in the stands.”

McQuaid struggled a bit in the first half, as did the whole Spartan team. Despite only trailing by six, they committed 15 fouls as a team and had 10 turnovers compared to just three from the Jayhawks. In the second half, Izzo played McQuaid in crucial minutes, and the young kid from Texas showed some grit.

“I think I was trying to go to fast, everyone was telling me to slow down, take your time,” McQuaid said. “I started picking up my defense, and that helped a lot. The upperclassmen were telling me to keep shooting, keep playing your game and it helped a lot.”

McQuaid knocked down two triples in the final four minutes and had a crucial block late in the game, helping both spark and seal the Spartans win. Even his teammates couldn’t believe the plays he was making on the big stage. The freshman finished with nine points in 22 minutes of action.

“McQuaid comes in, hits two big, big time threes as a freshman, like I couldn’t even imagine doing that as a freshman,” Valentine said. “I probably would have passed it and turned it over or something.”

After a strong performance from freshman Deyonta Davis in the season opener against Florida Atlantic, it was McQuaid’s turn to deliver as a young player surrounded by veterans. These veterans had talked about winning these early games, and the determination and perseverance they demonstrated further proved their sentiment.

“We are going to be able to build from this game,” Izzo said. “We are not a finished product and neither are they. I want to win more of these early games. We have played in a lot of big games and it’s time to start winning some big games and taking our program to yet another level.”

Senior Matt Costello finished with 10 points and nine rebounds, as he was one of the more vocal Spartans about how important it is for the seniors to “leave a legacy” by winning these early games.

“We had a tough game, and it’s a credit to our program and our toughness and our ability to get up for big games,” Costello said.

The Spartans now sit at 2-0 with a victory over a top 5 team. Izzo is now focused on another team, looking to pick up the same type of victory. No, it is not his next opponent..

“It was a big big big win for us, but there is a bigger one in the horizon, so I hope all the Spartan fans here get ready for a football game, because that’s what I am going to do,” Izzo said.