Spartans' First-Half Struggles Must Go for Final Four Run

The No. 2-seeded Michigan State Spartans (29-6) are set to face the No. 6-seeded Ole Miss Rebels (24-11) in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, Friday night in Atlanta. If they want to advance to the Elite Eight and even to the Final Four, the slow starts must be eliminated.

The Spartans have been a second-half team all season long, consistently putting themselves in a hole and trailing at halftime. They overcame a two-point deficit at halftime in the Round of 32 against the No. 6 New Mexico Lobos, trailing by 10 points at one point in the first half.

Just as they did against the Lobos, Michigan State continues to find ways to escape the rough starts and earn comeback wins.

They overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat Oregon earlier this year, trailed by seven on the road against Iowa, surging back to win. They also were down by four points to both Michigan and Illinois on the road, finding ways to claw back and win both, leading to their Big Ten title victory.

Collectively, the Spartans have struggled to shoot well consistently, and it seems to bug them most in the first 20 minutes. Either the halftime adjustments, Izzo chewing them out in the locker room, or just getting into the flow of the game are the most likely reasons for their second-half success.

If this team wants to reach their goals of a Final Four and a national championship,they will need to play a full 40 minutes to beat the best teams in the country. The opponents they will face from here on out are playing red-hot basketball and will not allow the Spartans a second-half comeback.

Give this team credit; when they are playing their worst basketball, they are still able to limit the damage. Instead of trailing by 10 at half to New Mexico, they went on a 15-5 scoring run to end the half, making it a more manageable comeback.

No disrespect to the Lobos, but the Ole Miss's, Auburn's, Florida's and Duke's of the world are not going to allow the Spartans to stay within striking distance when shooting terribly and turning the ball over.

Being able to get out to a strong start is key for this team's success. That does not mean they have to shoot 50% in the opening half, but being able to establish the rebound game, limit their turnovers and defend without fouling are ways that they can be competitive without shooting the lights out.

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