MSU Must Overcome This Tendency in Rivalry Clash With Wolverines
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There aren't a ton of glaring issues with this year's Michigan State basketball team.
The Spartans are 19-2 overall, 9-1 in Big Ten play, and are ranked seventh in the country. When a team is up that high, usually you're splitting hairs and trying to find that "fatal flaw" that can harm them in March.
One big problem for MSU is beginning to reveal itself: turnovers. According to KenPom, Michigan State has ended up turning it over on 20.4% of its possessions during conference play, which is the highest rate in the Big Ten.
Across the entire season, the Spartans are averaging 12.2 turnovers per game. That ranks 213th nationally, as of Wednesday, and is 15th in the Big Ten. Michigan State's defense, as good as it is, is not good at forcing turnovers, either. MSU cannot afford this to be an issue against Michigan.
Importance of Taking Care of the Ball
Turnovers were a reason the Spartans were on serious upset alert against Rutgers on Tuesday night. Michigan State ended up giving it away 15 times, while the Scarlet Knights only did so five times.
What made it worse was that a lot of MSU's turnovers were live-ball giveaways, which are more likely to lead to immediate points on the other end without there being a whistle. Rutgers had eight steals; Michigan State had one.
Simply put, a possession that ends with a turnover is a possession that doesn't at least end with a shot going up. Tom Izzo usually wants his team to get up 65 field goal attempts or so every game. It's a goal that's a little tough to reach, but it's doable. Even though MSU received five more minutes, it only finished Tuesday's game with 57 shot attempts, five fewer than Rutgers.
That's despite a plus-23 advantage on the glass, including seven more offensive rebounds than the Scarlet Knights. Why? Because Michigan State kept turning the ball over.
MSU cannot afford that against a Wolverines team that already likes to push the pace. The Spartans like to get out and run, but Michigan also has the passers and athletes to quickly grab two points if Michigan State commits a live-ball turnover.
This goes both ways, too. Michigan commits the most turnovers per game in the Big Ten, at 12.7 per game. The Wolverines are less likely to give it up on any given possession, but when they do, look out. Sometimes, that's when the Spartans get in transition and lob it up to Coen Carr for one of his thunderous dunks that completely change the momentum of games, especially ones in East Lansing.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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