How Divine Ugochukwu Can Get Back On Breakout Pace
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Michigan State has been up and down in their play this season, having great halves followed by disastrous play, and consistency is needed in East Lansing.
To achieve consistency, every Spartan must be able to show up week in and week out, as well as take advantage of every opportunity they have been given, especially history-defining ones such as their upcoming game against Oakland.
This applies even to breakout stars such as Divine Ugochukwu, who had been key in the Spartans' win against Penn State not long before playing Toledo.
However, he fell back statistically against the Rockets, and with only two games left in the year in which the team highly desires to win both, Ugochukwu must be consistent despite sharing time with Denham Wojcik.
So what declined in his play and what must change to get him back into breakout form as MSU tries to improve to 11-1?
What Declined For Ugochukwu Against Toledo: Shots Attempted
- Against Penn State Ugochukwu was given the ball 10 times to score, and he was able to drain eight of those shots, with five of them being three pointers, on his way to scoring 23 points.
- He was given the responsibility of a workhorse player, and he executed given the time and ball to do so.
- However, when he faced the Rockets he was only able to take three attempts to score, making only one of those shots.
- There are many reasons as to why he didn't get the ball enough, whether it be from the team's plan or his personal vision on the court, but going forward when MSU faces tougher teams Ugochukwu must take more shots.
- His breakout pace will be built on his shooting, just as the entire team will mold its identity around it, and if he can get shooting more often soon he will be able to keep it up offensively.
What Declined For Ugochukwu Against Toledo: Steals
- Against the Nittany Lions, Ugochukwu had his eyes on the ball at all times, and that led to him attaining three steals across his 27 minutes on the court.
- It may be unreasonable to desire for him to get three steals every game, but because of how close MSU's games have already been this season, every possession will matter.
- So even if it is not three, whether he has less time on the court like he did against Toledo with only 17 minutes, or is having a rough game, he needs to try and get at least one steal a game to keep up his breakout pace defensively.
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Nathan Berry is a senior at NCCS and was raised a Michigan State Spartan fan. With a great interest in sports and writing, journalism is a great avenue to pursue both.