MSU's Richardson Praises Teammates, Staying Confident After Uncharacteristic Showing
Michigan State freshman guard Jase Richardson had a rough, uncharacteristic performance in Sunday's second-round win over the No. 10 New Mexico Lobos in the NCAA Tournament. Despite his struggles, he praised his team and stayed ready, regardless of his success.
Richardson finished the night with 6 points, four assists, and four rebounds in the Spartans' 71-63 win over the Lobos to advance them to the Sweet 16 for the third time since 2019. The freshman star spoke postgame, giving a simple explanation as to what went wrong for him, scoring-wise.
"I think shots just weren't falling for me," Richardson said. "I felt like I had a couple good looks, rushed the shots, they weren't falling. I felt like every shot I took was a was a decent to solid shot, just wasn't falling tonight."
It was Richardson's worst scoring performance since he netted just four points in Michigan State's road loss to UCLA in early February. It was the first time he did not score in double figures since that game, but he made sure to praise his teammates for the work they put in to pick him up offensively.
"Strength numbers, I was the one down tonight, and my teammates picked me up," Richardson said. "Tre [Holloman] came in, played a big game, Jaden [Akins] had a huge night tonight, Coen [Carr], and Frankie [Fidler], they all played amazing. Our bigs did a great job at the end, I think everybody just did their part, besides me."
Even while Richardson was struggling, shooting an ice cold, 0-9 from the field, Coach Tom Izzo went back to his freshman guard late in the game, showing confidence in Richardson's ability to turn things around.
He did just that, scoring all six points in the final stages of the game. Richardson stayed confident, attempting another three-pointer that he would be fouled on, making all three free throws. A few possessions later, he perfectly timed a missed shot, executing the put-back and earning the and-1.
"Coach [Izzo] basically put me back in; [he] told me to make some plays because he still believed in me at that time," Richardson said. "[I] came down, hit a couple free throws and had the put back, so I'm just glad I could contribute to the win in any way I could. But I still got to be better, just overall."
A key reason why Izzo went back to Richardson even during a rough showing was not only his confidence in Richardson's ability but the positive reaction and body language he saw from his freshman star. Richardson spoke on staying locked in and waiting for his next chance to shine.
"I think just not giving up on the game, because I could have just checked out completely, and been out of it, being pouty and stuff like that," Richardson said. "But we still got a game to win, so I try to go out there with as much intensity as I could to help my team."
Leaders, team players, and elite talent are not mentally weak, just as Richardson showed on Sunday night. He may have struggled for the first 25 minutes that he played, but it was not going to stop him from staying confident, eager for another opportunity to make an impact.
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