“[I’m planning to] just come out and play hard,” said Saunders at Friday’s media availability. “It’s going to be another great challenge, and I’m looking forward to it. We just try to stick to our standards and principles and do the things that have gotten us to this point.”

Despite the early deficit the Crimson experienced in Saturday’s game—in which Michigan State scored nine of the game’s first 11 points—Saunders aided the team’s comeback efforts, taking advantage of any transition opportunities.

“We thought if we could get up the court and try to score some things before they got set up, it would be beneficial for us,” Saunders said. “We just were able to knock down some shots, and we were able to lock in on defense a little bit to chip away at the lead.”

While Amaker recognized the talent of Michigan State after Saturday’s game, he was sure to acknowledge the performance of the players sitting by his side during the post game interview, including Saunders.

“I can’t say enough about our team and the effort and the guts that they showed in the second half to make a run, to take the lead, to play with so much composure and poise and fight,” Amaker said. “I’m proud of our program, proud of our team.”

—Staff writer Orlea Miller can be reached at omiller@college.harvard.edu.