Indianapolis – No moral victories this time.
For four days, Michigan State stewed over the way things played out when it faced No. 2 Gonzaga in San Diego aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
For long stretches of that game, the Spartans were the better team, leading by double digits in the second half before the Bulldogs rallied for a one-point victory.
Not bad for an unranked team, right? Well, not for Michigan State.
So, when the Spartans found themselves back in a dogfight with No. 4 Kentucky on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, they weren’t about to head home explaining away another game that got away, not ready to hear about how close they came.