COLLEGE PARK, Md. >> Tre Holloman woke up a hero Thursday morning, his half-court heave the game-winner as No. 8 Michigan State finished off a 58-55 road win over No. 16 Maryland. But had that shot not fallen, his game would be remembered differently.

In the final minute of Wednesday’s game, Holloman turned the ball over and fouled, which led to the tying points with less than a minute to go. Yet instead of sulking, or letting a low moment beat him twice, he stayed level. He emerged with a moment that might define his career forever, and perhaps that of a Michigan State team (23-5 14-3 Big Ten) that has proven its resilience repeatedly this season.

“One of our keys was staying poised,” Holloman said. “… I didn’t get too down. We had time, and the shot just went in.”

Holloman shrugs off the clutch gene he showed, in part because it’s nothing new to Holloman, nor the Spartans at large. It’s just a sign of Michigan State’s mental resilience, one of those traits that shows up in defining moments. It’s why this team is different.

Riding a four-game win streak, three of which came on the road and three of which came against ranked teams, Michigan State is entering peak form entering March. With three games left in the regular season and March Madness nearing by the minute, these are the weeks that toughness — mental toughness, especially — comes to play. And in this current win streak, it’s been front and center. Each game, the Spartans have found the clutch shots and steady effort needed to win.

Holloman himself has been through ups and downs all season. He started the season off the bench before earning his spot as a starter for Michigan State’s 13-game win streak. But when that faded and the losses came, he willingly accepted a return off the bench. And he’s thriving because of it.

Don’t just view Holloman’s resilience through the rose-colored tint of his shot. He showed it far, far earlier, when his 0-for-4 shooting in the season’s worst offensive half led to some tough conversations at halftime.

“What I liked in the first half, (Holloman) didn’t play very well, and at halftime, he took ownership,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “That’s what I’m starting to get more of. I’m starting to get guys taking ownership instead of letting somebody else take ownership.”

That resilience is one of the reasons why Izzo named Holloman one of his captains — the other, Jaden Akins, voted for by his peers. Holloman has stayed poised to deliver in big moments, like the times he’s made three straight 3s, or his masterclass against North Carolina back in Maui. But none of those moments were as big as Wednesday, when he dug deep for a play that’s going to be remembered with his name the rest of his life.

Holloman, though, isn’t the only Spartan whose resilience sticks out. You could go up and down the roster and rattle off the highs and lows of all 10 players who checked in against Maryland.

Akins’ season-long shooting slump; Frankie Fidler’s grappling with an up-transfer; Xavier Booker’s slow progress casting him in a diminished role. All of them made key plays against Maryland, whether with much-needed buckets or even more vital defense.

“I feel like myself and the team is in a really good spot right now,” said Booker, who had one of his best defensive games Wednesday battling in the post with Maryland’s Derik Queen and Julian Reese. “We just gotta keep stacking up games. We’ve gone on a little stretch here where we’ve won our past few games, so we just gotta keep it going. The Big Ten title is what we want; it’s what all of us want.”

The Spartans will find any way to win, and they have since the summer. Guard Jase Richardson, who has scaled the freshman wall to deliver his best performances down the stretch, remembers how intense scrimmages were over the summer.

“We had a whole bunch of guys that came in over the summer and just worked,” Richardson “Everybody worked. Even during our scrimmages against each other, there was almost fights because everybody here wants to win. So we knew coming into the season that this was going to be a group of guys that are really hungry and will do anything to win.”

Almost at the other end of the season, Richardson’s words ring true. Gaffes and blunders don’t matter so much to this Michigan State team as the next, winning play. There’s hardly a lapse of focus, other than the on-court coaching of the Spartans themselves. That’s another area — tough love, real love — that makes this team stand out.

“When players hold players accountable, that’s my favorite part,” Izzo said. “Now you gotta watch how you do it. One or two times I said in the huddle it’s my job to get on you; you guys tell them, but stay with them. And for the most part, I thought we did. I just saw no head hanging. I pulled guys out, put them in.”

Michigan State’s talent may not stack up man for man with any other starting five, but it can attack in waves and attack with determination. After all, the Spartans just beat Maryland, a surging team with one of the best starting fives in the Big Ten.

“They could win the Big Ten tournament like that,” Izzo said, snapping his fingers.

So could Michigan State, which has proven its mettle repeatedly through all the road wins and comebacks. Izzo called for his team to “Be Different” at the start of the year. So far, the Spartans have answered the call.

That trait, more than any other, may be a reason this team goes far when losses start ending seasons.