How Michigan State Overcame Turnovers to Secure Win

Michigan State escaped with a victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday afternoon, 76-72.

It was the sloppiest game the Spartans played all season, as they could not figure out the Nittany Lions’ defense. MSU was forced into several turnovers but also had many head-scratching unforced errors.

The Spartans turned the ball over 17 times on Saturday afternoon and only handed out 14 assists. Divine Ugochukwu, Jeremy Fears Jr., and Denham Wojcik accounted for nine of the 17 turnovers, as the Spartans' point guard play was quite poor.

Tom Izzo will not be pleased watching this game on tape tomorrow, as the Spartans will not thrive in Big Ten play if they turn the ball over to this degree.

MSU's turnovers

Dec 13, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr (1) holds the ball as Penn State Nittany Lions guard Kayden Mingo (4) defends during the second half at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

However, that shouldn’t be the case; it appears MSU struggled against Penn State’s defense because of the exotic looks Mike Rhoades threw out there.

Rhoades had a great defensive game plan for the Spartans’ half-court offense. The Nittany Lions sent two defenders to the post to defend the bigs down low and swarmed the passing lanes, forcing errant passes and scoring off turnovers.

If MSU had taken better care of the basketball, the game would not have been so close. But the Spartans were careless and sloppy too often in the half-court, so the Nittany Lions took advantage.

Rhoades is starting to understand his program and the players he has, so it would not be surprising to see Penn State emerge as a real Big Ten team soon. MSU felt that struggle on Saturday, as it could not consistently beat the Nittany Lions' defense.

Nittany Lions big man Tibor Mirtic was everywhere on defense for Penn State, recording four steals. He took advantage of the Spartan bigs’ bad hands, knocking away passes and getting his hands on the basketball often.

Nov 19, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Tibor Mirtic (16) defends as Harvard Crimson forward Thomas Batties II (15) dribbles the ball down the court during the first half at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Despite a sloppy game, the Spartans still came away with the victory. It is a sign of a great team that MSU played the way it did on Saturday and still found a way to win.

The Spartans will not see a defense as unique as PSU’s often this season, so don’t expect MSU to turn the ball over as badly again. Izzo will coach those poor habits out of his players so that kind of game doesn’t cost them in the future.

MSU needs better play out of Jeremy Fears Jr., who has been rattled in the last two games. He expects to bounce back and protect the basketball better in the next game.

The Spartans were sloppy on Saturday afternoon, and the next few days of practice before taking on Toledo will be about taking care of the ball against a Rockets team that forces more than 14 turnovers per game.

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