19 of Winston’s team-high 27 came in a nip-and-tuck second half, where the only separation took place in the final minutes. The Spartan point guard did not leave the game, playing all forty minutes.

"I kept asking, are you tired, and he didn't even winch on it," MSU coach Tom Izzo said postgame. "I don't know. I think he’s proving that he’s a player deserving of all the accolades he’s gotten."

The Spartans held their rivals to only three field goals between the fourteen-minute mark and one-minute mark of the second half, and only six assists for the entire game.

It was then that the Wolverines mounted a late rally. Junior point guard Zavier Simpson scored a lay-up, MSU turned it over, and sophomore guard Jordan Poole drained two threes to cut MSU’s lead to four with thirty seconds remaining. 

However, Winston was cool at the line, making four in a row to ice the emotional upset victory for the Spartans.

"Free throws are free throws. You shoot free throws every day," Winston said. "It’s almost easier when the crowd is louder, for me for some reason, because it’s easier to focus on one thing. When the crowd is loud, that means you gotta focus more on the rim, and it’s just easier to focus on that. So, just stepping to the line, and knocking them down."

The game-defining run came with eight minutes left. The Spartans led by one when the methodical high ball screens began. Over and over, Winston either scored, passed, or created offense that led to free throws. MSU put the Wolverines in a vice grip, slowly stretching the lead out to ten with less than a minute remaining.

"Our ball screen defense has been terrific all year. Cassius Winston was terrific. He destroyed our ball screen defense," Michigan coach John Beilein said postgame.

Izzo said that of the many wins he has had at Crisler Center during his thirty-plus years on staff at MSU, this may have been the biggest, considering the circumstances. 

Michigan came out of the locker room in a second half with an energy befitting of the football rivalry between these two schools, scoring on five of their first six possessions of the half. Freshman forward, wearing both the jersey number and familiar snarl of then-MSU foe, now-Los Angeles Laker Moe Wagner, keyed the run. The Spartans, however, responded with a 7-0 burst of their own, punctuated by senior guard Matt McQuaid making three free throws after a late shot-clock foul.

"Me, McQuaid, Cassius, just keep telling everyone, ‘relax, we’re good. They made their run, now let’s make ours.’ That’s exactly what we did," senior forward Kenny Goins said, of the team huddle after the Wolverines' run.

A frenetic first half was headlined by Goins’ 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including three made three-pointers. The game was played within a small window, as the largest lead by either side was only seven points. Winston looked exhausted at the end of the half, which ended with MSU in front, 39-37. 

 Perhaps the biggest factor in the first half was Michigan’s offensive rebounding. As a result of MSU switching screens on the perimeter, U-M had a size advantage inside, and capitalized with eight offensive rebounds and seven second-chance points, not including free throws from offensive boards. This changed dramatically in the second half.

"So, instead, we just had to make a switch where Kenny would help down there and get rebounds, and that showed, he had 11 rebounds in the game," Tillman said. "So, we made a switch where, I’m still gonna switch onto the guard, but Kenny is gonna crash hard."

The Spartans travel to Indiana (13-14, 4-12 Big Ten) Saturday. Michigan hosts Nebraska (15-13, 5-12 Big Ten) Thursday night.