What MSU Basketball Still Must Improve on
As 2024 comes to a close, the Michigan State Spartans have gotten off to an excellent start on the basketball court.
Tom Izzo’s team is 10-2 and tied for first place in the Big Ten with two conference wins. This Spartans team looks like the MSU teams of old under Izzo.
The Spartans’ two losses came against talented Kansas and Memphis teams. Since then, this team has been on a roll as it wraps up non-conference play and prepares for the Big Ten season.
Many things have improved for Izzo’s MSU squad compared to last season. The offense looks much more coherent in the half-court, while the defense and rebounding efforts have remained consistent.
The middle of non-conference play has been fine for the Spartans in the last few seasons. The real trouble begins when the conference slate begins, which is when they have started to falter.
This Spartans team has looked like a serious contender to win the conference, but that will be put to the test when Big Ten play begins.
What does MSU have to do to keep things rolling against the top teams they will face?
It starts with continuing to improve behind the 3-point arc.
The Spartans struggled early in the season to make shots from deep. While they have improved since their dismal start, MSU still ranks 334th in the country in three-point percentage, connecting on just 28.7 percent from the outside.
MSU has plenty of talented shooters and has run its offense to find open shooters. Since the opening week of the season, its shooting has been much better. But the Spartans must keep that momentum going as conference play approaches.
The Spartans could also improve on the offensive glass. They rank only 65th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game at under 13. Giving your offense more possessions is how this team could become truly elite.
Improving in the paint overall would help. Centers have dominated MSU in recent seasons, and teams with elite big men will cause problems if they do not get better at defending them.
MSU is 152nd in the country in turnovers per game, an issue that has plagued them forever. Jeremy Fears and Tre Holloman must make smart decisions and keep the ball out of the defense’s hands.
This Spartans team is not far off from being a group that can make a deep run in March. They just have to clean up a few aspects of their game to make that happen.
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