This is a place that Tom Izzo and his Michigan State Spartans (12-2, 3-0 Big Ten) have been before. Undefeated in Big Ten conference play, ranked in the AP Top 25 poll for the 358th time in Izzo’s coaching career, and well on their way to a 27th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Spartans are one of the hottest teams in all of college basketball so far this year. That doesn’t mean the winningest coach in Big Ten history is taking anything for granted, or that he’s letting his team’s early success go to their heads.
“We’re 12-2. So what?” Izzo told reporters during his media availability on Monday. “There’s a bunch of teams 11-3. Does that mean we’re up here and they’re down there? It’s not that way. There’s a lot of good teams out there, a lot of good players.”
Izzo’s reluctance to put his team on a pedestal may be modest, but the Spartans deserve a little credit where it’s due. Boasting one of the best rebounding teams in the country (they’re ranked 13th nationally in rebounds per game), hounding opposing offenses into a sub-30% three-point shooting percentage, and currently slated to land a 5-seed in ESPN’s latest Bracketology projections, Michigan State are team on the rise.
Izzo, however, in his typical fashion, is focused on what his team can improve upon moving forward. He offered reporters three key places that the Spartans can improve in going forward. “You go from good to great,” Izzo stated on what’ll happen if Michigan State can nail down these three areas.
Michigan State Spartans Turnover Struggles
The biggest area that Izzo wants his team to improve on is turnovers. On the season, Michigan State is averaging 12.5 turnovers per game, the third-worst total in the Big Ten. However, over their last five-game stretch there’s been an uptick, with the Spartans turning the ball over 14.4 times per game over their last five. Izzo pointed to their win over Ohio State on January 3, where the Buckeye’s double-teaming in the post led to multiple turnovers: “We have to spend a little more time on post-doubles in practice, because we never had that problem. Nobody was doubling our posts.”
Three-Point Shooting Woes
Another major point of improvement is the team’s three-point shooting. Michigan State is shooting a paltry 28.0% on their three-point attempts, the worst mark in the Big Ten and 354th nationally. After a brief uptick in three-point shooting to close out 2024, the Spartans’ three-point shooting cratered in their win over Ohio State, where they converted only 3 of their 18 attempts from beyond the arc.
Despite the poor shooting displays, redshirt freshman Jeremy Fears Jr. told reporters that he and the team aren’t worried. “I mean, it’s basketball. You make shots, you miss shots… We just got to keep shooting it, honestly, and eventually they’ll fall. I don’t really have a worry with shooting for us.”
Inconsistent Rebounding & Offensive Transitions
Izzo also mentioned rebounding as a third thing the Spartans can improve upon moving forward. On the season, despite averaging 41.4 rebounds per game, the second-best average in the Big Ten, the Spartans have struggled at times to push the ball down the court and turn those rebounds into points. Michigan State has three games this season with single-digit fastbreak points.
Tom Izzo Believes In This Team
Despite identifying areas to improve, Izzo has remained positive on his team’s outlook. “I do want to appreciate what we’ve done, I do think we’ve done a lot. I do think we’ve played different ways, I think we’ve won different ways.” He also preached that finding consistency and being comfortable with each other will help them make deep runs in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. “I think consistency is what we’re all looking for and usually consistency is when there’s comfort level. When there’s comfort level, that means guys kind of know each other and have a feel. … I do think the familiarity we have with each other has helped us.”
The #16 Michigan State Spartans will suit up on January 9 at 8:00 P.M. for a home game against the Washington Huskies (10-5, 1-3 Big Ten). The Big Ten Network will provide television coverage.
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