At Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday, the answer was a resounding yes.

"We’re here to win the Big Ten Tournament championship," freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. said after pacing MSU’s offense with 11 points and five assists in 26 minutes. "We don’t care about the rest. That’s our goal. We all talked about that, and that’s something we want to do."

MSU didn’t dominate its tournament opener. But whenever the game demanded a response, the Spartans had one. 

A sluggish start to the second half trimmed their lead to a single point, but a furious MSU second-half run sunk the Ducks’ rally. Defense, rebounding and balance — MSU’s calling cards — took over. The Spartans claimed a 74-64 win, proving that they aren’t satisfied with their outright title, nor were they looking for rest ahead of the season’s main event: the NCAA Tournament, which begins next week. 

"I feel like winning (the regular-season title) made me feel good and made me hungry to do more,” senior guard Jaden Akins said, finishing with 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting. 

Oregon had momentum. The Ducks, playing their second game in as many days, looked like the sharper team early in the second half. They cut MSU’s double-digit halftime lead to one point, capitalizing on a lackluster Spartan start out of the locker room.  

In response, MSU dug in and displayed what has made it the Big Ten’s best team down the stretch, rattling off a 15-0 run. The Spartans defended, outworked the Ducks on the glass and leaned on their depth. Four MSU players scored in double figures. Six contributed at least five points. MSU’s 10 offensive rebounds led to 16 second-chance points. 

The team that entered the day looking to extend its winning streak played like a group that had no interest in letting momentum slip. The Spartans reaffirmed Thursday what they’ve become over the past month — a team that knows who it is and what it takes to win in March. 

That identity has been forged through a season of adjustment, patience, and, most importantly, buy-in. MSU isn’t built around one star or overwhelming strength. The Spartans’ success is consistently dependent on their collective effort: defensive intensity, glass control and contributions from each of their 10 rotation players. 

All of it was on display Friday. 

"It’s fun when you’re coaching guys and everybody’s playing. And yet, they have to know that there’s going to be some guys that are going to play more, especially as you get into (tournament basketball)," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "But they’ve embraced it. They’ve been selfless. They’ve been pulling for one another."

MSU won this game the same way it won the Big Ten title. The defense locked in. Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad managed just eight points on 4-for-11 shooting, missing all five threes. Freshman Jase Richardson, now MSU’s closer, drilled two second-half threes and fueled a five-point surge that stretched the lead from 11 to 16.

This didn’t look like a team treating the Big Ten Tournament as optional.

The Big Ten Tournament hasn’t always been a priority for Izzo’s teams, and this year, MSU had reasons to treat it as such. The Spartans had already won sole possession of the conference championship. Their NCAA Tournament seeding fate is largely set.

That wasn’t the message Friday. The edge MSU sharpened in February and March has yet to dull, and the Spartans are still climbing.