3 Keys for Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament
It’s March and college basketball tournament season is here. The drama has already begun across the country, with several smaller programs having already punched their ticket to the ‘Big Dance’.
For Michigan State, ‘March Madness’ starts on Friday in the Big Ten Tournament. Head coach Tom Izzo is known for taking the Spartans on big runs in March. Does he have any magic up his sleeve this year?
The #B1GMBBT bracket ✍️ pic.twitter.com/Gm01WYcOle
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 6, 2023
After the dust settled from a wild regular season in the Big Ten, the Spartans finished fourth in the league and earned a double-bye for the conference tournament. The Big Ten is a wide-open conference, and Michigan State is capable of making a deep run this weekend.
Here are three keys for Michigan State for the Big Ten tournament:
1.) Improved Rebounding
This is not a new issue for the Spartans this season, but if MSU is going to have a shot at winning the conference tournament, rebounding is the biggest key.
In seven of Michigan State’s 11 losses they have been out-rebounded. Several Big Ten teams have taken advantage of the Spartans lack of size and depth in the frontcourt. This conference has a deep roster of talented big guys – Purdue’s Zach Edey, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson. While Michigan State may get more favorable frontcourt matchups in the NCAA Tournament, guys like Mady Sissoko, Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper will have to step up and play well for the Spartans to contend with the Big Ten’s top post players in the conference tournament.
As the No. 4 seed, Michigan State’s first tournament game will be against either Iowa (No. 5 seed) or the winner of the Wisconsin-Ohio State game (No. 12 and No. 13, respectively). If the Spartans win that first game, their most-likely opponent in the semifinals will be top-seeded Purdue. Edey, an All-American, has dominated MSU twice this season already, scoring his career-high and combining for 30 rebounds in the two matchups.
Sissoko will have to play a big role for Michigan State. Even if he doesn’t score much, the junior needs to grab nearly double-digit rebounds per game in the conference tournament. Senior power forward Joey Hauser, who has been MSU’s top rebounder this season, needs to be active on the glass as well.
2.) Shoot 3-pointers
Izzo-coached teams are notorious for taking long-range 2’s, but this team is particularly good at shooting 3-pointers. Michigan State has four players shooting over 40% from deep this year – Jaden Akins, Tyson Walker, Malik Hall and Joey Hauser. Without a dominant center, it makes sense for the Spartans to spread the floor and take good outside jumpers.
Over its last four games, Michigan State has shot a scorching hot 57.6% from 3-point range. The Spartans have spaced the floor, and play-making guards like A.J. Hoggard and Walker have opened up great looks on the perimeter. Hoggard has been one of the best distributors in the country this season, and both he and Walker have been playing some of the best basketball of their careers of late.
This group falls into a habit of pump-faking out of a 3-pointer, taking one or two dribbles in and pulling up for a long-2. It is imperative the Spartans don’t fall into that habit in the tournament. With a potential matchup against a high-powered offensive team like Iowa on Friday, Michigan State will need all the points it can get.
3.) Izzo’s ‘End Of Game’ Management
Late game management has been a bit of a roller coaster for Izzo and his staff this season. Michigan State has done it well at times, and has been abysmally inept at other times.
Situational basketball is key to making a run in March, where games are often tight in crunch time. Strategy and execution are under a microscope, and even the slightest mistake can mean the end of your season.
The example that everyone’s mind will run to is Michigan State’s game at Iowa just a couple of weeks ago. The Spartans led by 13 with 1:34 left in the game, and the Hawkeyes chipped away by playing the foul game and knocking down 3-pointer after 3-pointer.
With their lead cut to three with around 10 seconds left, Michigan State could have fouled intentionally to put Iowa on the free throw line for two shots. The Hawkeyes would have likely attempted to make the first shot, miss the second shot intentionally and try to get an offensive rebound to tie or win the game. In this scenario, if the Spartans secure the defensive rebound, they win the game.
Instead, Izzo elected to play straight up defense, and Iowa hit another 3-pointer to tie and send the game to overtime, where MSU would eventually lose. Izzo is an old school coach, but he needs to change with the times on this.
Inbounding against pressure is another area where Michigan State has struggled this season. Izzo has been very good throughout his career at drawing up sideline out of bounds plays in the halfcourt, but the Spartans have struggled inbounding from the baseline against full-court pressure all season, and that cost them in the loss to Iowa as well.
It’s ‘win or go home’ season in college basketball, and Michigan State needs to shore up its execution on these out of bounds plays and revisit its strategies for late-game clock and score management.
