While the Spartans lagged behind the Timberwolves, one player was far ahead of the pack — in fact, several increments of 5,280 feet ahead. Freshman forward Miles Bridges did enough to drag his team to an easy victory following a sorry start of play. 

A five-star recruit from Huntington Prep High School in West Virginia, Bridges was the most praised haul of Izzo's top-rated incoming class. With a first half containing four blocks, two assists, three rebounds and 17 points, he quickly validated the lofty praise.

"I thought Bridges played decent," Izzo said in the postgame press conference. "No, but he did it all within the framework of what he was doing, very smooth and comfortable. We posted him some. We put him at the three some. We let him handle the ball some, so I think he fit into what we said we were going to do with him. And he handled that very, very well."

Bridges finished the game with 33 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and three assists — all in 29 minutes. He was 5-of-5 from 3-point range, all from the right side of the court, and 12-for-14 overall.

Even though the game was a scrimmage, Bridges revealed a smooth shooting touch and perceptive court vision that went beyond his signature flashy dunks. Of course, he had three of those famous slams as well, although one didn't count.

Despite Bridges' contributions, he said he exposed just part of his game against Northwood. 

"I only displayed my 3-point shooting and my driving to the basket," Bridges said. "I really didn't display the transition or my off-the-ball stuff, so I'll show a lot more."

That's a scenario opposition coaches can't fathom.

"I think I even heard or read something where coach Izzo talked about that, that kid is not a kid, he's a man," Northwood head coach Jeff Rekeweg said.

With all of the mania surrounding Bridges' performance, his teammates didn't seem too awestruck. It wasn't anything that was new to them.

"I expect more from Miles than that," senior guard Eron Harris said. "I'm definitely not surprised. I'm going to expect that from him all season. He's a double-double, triple-double type of guy. ... Like I said, I expect way, way more from him. That's nothing."

Having practiced with him all summer, junior point guard Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. said he knew of Bridges' talent. Still, though, 33 points stood out.

"He's a great player, man," Nairn said. "I'm not going to say I expected 33 points, but he can do it all. ... I've seen him do everything he did today."

While he's just a freshman, Bridges is an indispensable part of Izzo's plan for the big games ahead. Already, MSU knows whom to turn to.

"He's not Denzel (Valentine), but you can see in some of the passes and plays he made that he's really good and one of the more versatile players we've ever had because he's strong enough to post up," Izzo said. "I thought he played hard. I thought he played un-selfish. I thought he made shots and they were shots that were ready-shoot shots. He moved and put himself in position. To be honest, I was proud of the way Miles played."

Of his 33 points, not one was the most memorable play for Bridges. Instead, it came with 5:57 remaining in the first period, when Bridges furtively sneaked a shovel pass into the paint to sophomore forward Kyle Ahrens, who converted a wide-open dunk.

"I love assists way more than I love points," Bridges said. "And I love to see my teammates succeed more than I do. Anytime I see my teammates cutting back there with an open shot, I'm going to pass it and they're going to score. And I just want to get my teammates involved because that gets me going, too."

For Izzo, that wasn't even the definitive moment. It was Bridges' reaction.

"He was happy when he sees these other people's success, and I guess when you're 12-of-14, you should be happy no matter what happens," Izzo said. "But at the same time, I thought he handled everything and stayed in the flow."