"I missed a shit ton," Goins said, who also grabbed nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 38 minutes in the 76-65 win. "I'm sure I brought the percentage down pretty bad. But those days happen, it happened last year and we didn’t find a way to win."

Goins didn't give much of a reason for the off-shooting performance other than he felt he had to "get some more arc on the ball, it's been flat." Over his last three games, the 6 foot, 7 inch Goins is 4-of-18 on 3s while it was revealed he's been dealing with knee tendinitis.

Since forward Nick Ward suffered a hairline fracture in his left hand on Feb. 17, Goins has averaged 35.9 minutes and 37.9 percent shooting from deep in a 10-game span. Ward returned from the injury when the Spartans opened the Big Ten Tournament against Ohio State on March 15, but teams have continued to actively game plan against Goins.

Goins has started in all 35 of MSU's games and is averaging 8.1 points and 8.9 boards in 30.0 minutes, above last season's average of 13.9. Coach Tom Izzo said at a news conference Tuesday fatigue could be catching up.

"When your shot is a little flat, means you're not getting enough lift with your legs," Izzo said. "But I also think people are playing him different and without Nick in there you can press up on the perimeter because you don't have to worry as much down low."

Assistant coach Dane Fife said he's noticed teams play Goins differently as of late, starting with in the win over Michigan last Sunday in the Big Ten Tournament title. Fife said Bradley forced Goins into many similar looks.

"The main thing is just to get a hand in his face every time," Fife said. "We have term ‘Make him dribble’ and I think that’s probably what they were willing to do with Kenny. If you go so hard at him that he dribbles. If he goes around you, great. And that was probably their plan."

Izzo said Goins has been resting to freshen up for Saturday's second-round game with No. 10 Minnesota (22-13). Tipoff from Wells Fargo Arena is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. EDT (CBS).

"He's a much better shooter than that," Gophers coach Richard Pitino said. "He's very versatile, and he has the ability to stretch the defense. So it's a tough matchup for us."

Should the Spartans beat the Gophers for the second time this season, complimenting the 79-55 win Feb. 9 at the Breslin Center, it would mark their first Sweet 16 since the 2014-15 season.

And whether Minnesota will pay close attention to Goins, he said he's going to keep shooting.

"We wouldn’t be here without Kenny," point guard Cassius Winston said. "He knows that and the team knows that. And we’re fully confident that he’s going to come through for us just like he has all year."