SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) – Travis Trice learned it’s far less nerve-wracking playing with a Final Four berth on the line than it is getting basketball score updates by phone.
Either way, the Michigan State senior guard was left emotionally spent after what proved to be a twice-is-nice-for-the-Thrice-family weekend.
Trice, on Sunday hit two free throws with 10.1 seconds left in overtime to cap a 17-point performance that put the finishing touches on a 76-70 victory over Louisville in the NCAA Tournament East Regional final.
The night before, he had some anxious moments receiving updates by text on how Huber Heights Wayne – the high school team coached by his father and featuring his brother, D’Mitrik – was faring in its first Ohio boys state basketball championship game. The Warriors won 65-57, with D’Mitrik scoring a team-best 19.
“I had to settle for play-by-play texts,” Travis Jr. said. “If anybody’s ever had to do that, it’s stressful.”