Denzel Valentine’s career at Michigan State came to an end in the most disappointing fashion.
Despite being a Player of the Year candidate, Valentine and his Spartans lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday as they were outplayed by Middle Tennessee State. After the game, Valentine handled the media like a true leader. His comments were heartbreaking but the signs of a man with a lot of responsibility.
“With great power comes great responsibility, and I didn’t handle it today,” said Valentine. “Just sucks that we’re going home now. But I got something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. That when you’re in this position and everybody’s looking at you, you gotta come through.
“I didn’t come through today, and I’ll remember that for the rest of my life.”
Valentine scored 13 points and handed out 12 assists, but he also committed six turnovers. Michigan State was expected to be a title contender and picked by anywhere from 20-25 percent of people filling out brackets to win it all. And now they’re going home. That’s not the way the senior wanted to end his career.
