In a moment where things can and have gotten a little out of hand this week, Hunter didn’t blink. He promptly corked off two consecutive threes to put Michigan State back in the hole and effectively kill the comeback despite them swinging away wildly in the final minutes. Purdue won 75-70 and advanced to the Big Ten Championship for a showdown against Iowa, a team that rallied successfully for a win themselves not long before the Spartans tried to do much of the same. 

And like that, it’s on to the NCAA Tournament for Michigan State. Two close wins and a clambering loss over three days in Indianapolis didn’t do much to change a lot of the narratives around Michigan State. 

Some of the favorites: they’re old but inexperienced. Tough, but not the bullies of the Spartans’ past. Good enough to play with anybody, but maybe not good enough to win. 

Three days crisscrossing the rainbow pinwheel at Gainbridge Arena’s halfcourt did make something clear: the Spartans aren’t really bothered by any of that, either. They haven’t been playing, practicing or thinking like a team that’s looking for a peak in a culture that’s been built around peaking at the right time—that is, this time of year.

So, it’s right back to base camp for what they hope will be one final methodical ascent towards reaching the potential that was flashed, one final climb to finding some of the glory that’s avoided them throughout this season. Head Coach Tom Izzo, the ever-engaging sherpa of more than a few runs up the mountain over the years, said he was disappointed and proud after getting knocked out of the tournament but certain about one thing. 

“Right now the better team won, but this team's going to get better in a week and we're going to see if we can do some damage,” Izzo said. 

The way up? Like the narratives, it hasn’t changed this season. It certainly didn’t change in Indianapolis. 

“Rebound, defend and run,” senior forward Gabe Brown said. “Those are our main staples here and that's what we focused on, and I felt we did a great job of just doing that. And right now we've just got to keep on doing that and keep on getting better each and every day.” 

In other words, playing Michigan State basketball, living out the three words plastered on their locker room walls that will stand as the generational pillars defining the program long after Izzo eventually calls it a day and somebody new steps up to the helm. 

This style shined through as they fought for the boards necessary to jump out to a big lead against Maryland. Played the type of defense that made Big Ten Player of The Year sophomore guard Johnny Davis look like a shell of himself, and got the fastbreak buckets that were essential to keeping a comeback bid alive against Purdue. 

With this in play, the confidence among the program has surged at maybe the right time. 

“I feel like it's through the roof,” Brown said. “I feel like our guys is confident. I feel like all our coaches is confident in us. We've just got to keep on working and keep on pushing every day and it starts in practice. So this week we going to really grind, we're going to really grind things out, look at film, just get down to the nitty-gritty and get a win.” 

Hoggard, the battered dynamo in Saturday’s second semifinal with 17 points and 11 assists, kept the same grinding energy as his co-captain when discussing the vaunted lessons to be gained after a loss. 

“We learned a lot about ourselves up here fighting, proving people (wrong) a little bit,” Hoggard said. “We've got to get back to the drawing board when we get back, see where we land on Sunday and just try to get better so we can prepare for March Madness, as coach said, and just continue to get better and rally each other, don't get too down. I wanted this so bad for our seniors but we didn't get it done tonight, so we've just kind of got to get back and get another shot at March.” 

At the end of it, all that’s guaranteed is 40 more minutes for Michigan State. One-and-done time takes on a new meaning later next week. If they hadn’t already, things tend to get awfully real awfully quick. 

“I went home early last year and I'm not trying to go home early this year,” Brown said. “So once we get back, like A.J. said, we've got to get back to the drawing board. We've got to get back to Michigan State basketball like we've been playing this weekend.” 

But, with a new season in swing, the focus is just as singular as it was back in November. 

“Who knows where we'll be seeded, who cares where we'll be seeded?” Izzo said. “I've lost as a 2 seed and, you know, went to the Final Four as a 7 or 8 seed. Nothing matters except us getting a little better.”