Tom Izzo Reveals One Major Concern for Michigan State
The Michigan State Spartans are rolling into Christmas feeling pretty good about themselves, as they have won five straight games to improve to 10-2 on the season overall.
Throughout this recent stretch, Michigan State has collected some very impressive wins, beating North Carolina and routing both Minnesota and Nebraska.
While the Spartans have displayed considerable progress throughout the early stages of the 2024-25 campaign, Coach Tom Izzo still wants to see more from his club in one particular area.
Defense.
“I think we’ve got to really clean up some things, you know. We’ve just got to get better,” Izzo said after the Spartans' win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday. “We have not been as good defensively since our offense has gotten better – make more shots, check less, you know. I don’t know. Somebody’s got to get after them about there, you know. We’ve still got to be able to guard.”
Michigan State has actually been very solid defensively this season, as it ranks 48th in the country in defensive efficiency.
The Spartans have only given up 80 points once all year long, and that came during their 94-91 overtime win over the Tar Heels on Nov. 27.
Overall, Michigan State is surrendering 67.5 points per game on the season, which is good for 66th in the nation.
So, could it be better? Sure, but it's not like the Spartans have been defensive sieves thus far.
All things considered, Izzo and Co. are in a very good place. Michigan State went into the season unranked and has now moved up to 18th.
Are the Spartans championship contenders? At the moment, probably not, but there is no question that they have made significant strides and have exceeded the expectations of many.
Heck, Michigan State even hung with Kansas earlier in the year, although the Jayhawks did end up losing a couple of games a bit later on.
The Spartans currently do not play a ranked opponent until Jan. 19, when they face No. 24 Illinois. They definitely have an opportunity to go on a nice little run here, so we'll see if they can lock down a bit more on the defensive end in the coming weeks.
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