It has the makings of becoming another enduring postseason symbol for Michigan State basketball along with: “PPTPW”; the late-afternoon, pre-spring sun shining through the Breslin Center windows during practice; and the obligatory questions about the war drill at NCAA Tournament press conferences.
But before “Whatever it takes to win a championship” ranks alongside “Players Play, Tough Players Win” -- the battle cry of MSU’s 2000 national championship team -- on T-shirts and arena walls, it needs to be validated.
Senior co-captain and newly named Sports Illustrated Player of the Year Denzel Valentine uttered the phrase after the Spartans hung on to beat Maryland, 64-61, in Saturday’s Big Ten Tournament semifinal.