Do Spartans Possess Big Ten's No. 1 Defense?

The No. 8 Michigan State Spartans (24-5, 15-3) have been one of the hottest teams in basketball over the past two weeks. A major factor in their five-game win streak has been the defense that many consider to be the best in the conference. They have put that on display over this five-game span.

Dating back to their road win at Illinois in mid-February, the Spartans have held their past five opponents to well under their average point total. The Illini mustered just 65 points as the Big Ten's No. 1 offense, netting 83.6 points per game. The Spartans did that on the road, no less.

Michigan State followed that performance by holding the then-No. 13 Purdue Boilermakers to 66 points as a team that averages 77.4 per game.

If that was not enough, they went into their bitter rivals gym in Ann Arbor, holding the No. 12 Michigan Wolverines to a measly 62 points, their lowest losing total of the year. Michigan ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring, dropping 79.6 points per game, and was completely buttoned up by Michigan State.

The next two games on this five-game heater were nothing short of incredible on the defensive end and the biggest reason why the Spartans are currently heavy favorites to win an 11th Big Ten title under Coach Tom Izzo.

No. 16 Maryland was held to nearly 30 points under their average, scoring just 55 when averaging the Big Ten's third-best at 82.1 points per game. Most recently, the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers were limited to almost 20 points under their average, scoring only 62 points. (81.2 ppg).

In total, over the past five games, against five of the top seven teams in the Big Ten, they held their opponents to a collective 22.9% (20-131) from three-point range. The Badgers shot a whopping 5-32 from distance on Sunday afternoon, mostly due to how well the Spartans guarded the perimeter.

Another opportunity to limit one of the Big Ten's best offensive teams approaches as the Spartans travel to Midwestern America to face the Iowa Hawkeyes (15-14, 6-12). Their record may be deceiving, but they are the second-best offensive in the conference at 82.2 points per game.

As postseason basketball looms closer, the Spartans will need to continue their hot defensive streak to win on the biggest stages. March is built for teams that rebound well and play good defense, two things that the Spartans do better than almost any team in the country.

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