“If it’s not a National Championship, then it’s probably a bust for this team,” said Winston, who averages 12.6 points for the third-seeded Spartans. “Just because of how many players, what we think we’re capable of. So every game we’re going to be motivated to go out there and play our best just because we have that end goal in mind.”

The Spartans (29-4 overall) will open the NCAA Tournament Friday in the Midwest Region against 14-seeded Bucknell (25-9), which won the Patriot League and conference tournament. 

To make any run in the tournament, head coach Tom Izzo said MSU needs to take things one game at a time. 

“I kind of shake my head that they're a 14-seed, and I mean that," Izzo said. “They have experience. They have some depth. They have some speed. And, as I said, when you play in games like this ...  the way upsets are made a lot of times is by the 3-point shot, and they have a lot of players that can make 3-point shots. And we’re going to have to defend that."

Bucknell starts three seniors, all of whom average double-figure scoring. Forward Zach Thomas leads all Bison scorers with averages of 20.3 points and 9.2 rebounds. Bucknell also has five players shooting above 34 percent from 3-point range.

Thomas said the Bison are up to the challenge.

"We shake our heads when they’re a 3-seed," said Thomas, the Patriot League Player of the Year. "It’s just the way it worked out, I guess. We feel like we could probably have been maybe a little bit higher, but we like our chances either way." 

Even if the game favors the Spartans, Bucknell coach Nathan Davis said it won't be that easy.

"We’ve just got to make sure that we make it hard; that we don’t give up open jumpers, that we box out,” Davis said. “So if they are going to get some offensive rebounds, they’re going to get some, they at least have to go over us or around us.”

Izzo compared Bucknell to Purdue in many ways during practice this week. Since the Bison rely so much on their senior players, senior guard Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. said he thinks MSU is in for a challenge. 

"Understanding that they’ve played together for awhile," he said. "And in the tournament, experience that helps but we’re a pretty young team but we have a lot of experience.

"They all count the same now. It’s win or go home. So, I think the teams that can stay consistent for the longer periods of time that helps them advance through the tournament."

Sophomore forward Miles Bridges said MSU learned a lot from last year's NCAA Tournament experience as a fringe 9-seed that lost in a 90-70 blowout against Kansas in the second round.

“We have way more depth this year," Bridges said. "We have a lot more bigs, and our guards have way more experience. We’ve kind of been through the wars last year. I feel like that prepared us for this year.”

Winston said the Spartans wouldn't be where they are now without that loss. 

But there's still more work to be done to accomplish their goals.

“All of last year and everything we went through was built for this point right here," Winston said. "This team’s been through a lot of ups and downs together, a lot of wars, thing that tested us. And I believe now we’ve got the experience and the talent and our minds are ready to make this run.

"Whatever happens, things aren’t going to go perfectly every moment, but we’ve got what it takes to dig down, and just put wins together.”