BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It was the type of moment that has defined Cassius Winston’s Michigan State career.
Down two points. Ball in his hands. Time winding down. Salvation in sight.
A crossover dribble, quickly threading the ball back through his legs. A frozen defender. A burst toward the basket. Elevation.
This time, instead of an acrobatic attempt through two Indiana defenders, the reigning Big Ten player of the year deferred.
Winston tried to send a mid-air lob toward Xavier Tillman. The pass got swatted off the backboard to Tillman, whose in-flight put-back attempt with a little more than a second remaining swirled off the back of the rim into the hands of the Hoosiers’ Jerome Hunter.