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Michigan State Basketball: 3 things we learned from Ohio State win

By Connor Muldowney

Feb 14, 2017; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Cassius Winston (5) dribbles the ball during the second half of a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 14, 2017; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Cassius Winston (5) dribbles the ball during the second half of a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan State basketball picked up a crucial win on Tuesday night over Ohio State and here’s what we learned.

Michigan State recorded its fourth win in five games on Tuesday night against Ohio State, pushing the Spartans’ record to 16-10 on the year and 8-5 in conference play. There are five games remaining in the season and there’s a good chance Michigan State needs to win 2-3 of those as well as a conference tourney game before getting into the NCAA Tournament.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: 5 bold predictions for February

Miles Bridges and Nick Ward led the offense for the second straight game, combining for 32 points and 16 rebounds. I mentioned after last game that if they could combine for 30-15 numbers each time out, there wouldn’t be a team — outside of Purdue — in the Big Ten that could match up with them.

The Spartans nearly squandered a double-digit second-half lead, but held on in the final minutes thanks to excellent ball movement and bench production.

Here’s what we learned from the Spartans’ eight-point win at the Breslin Center Tuesday night.

1. Turnovers will be the difference

If Michigan State is going to turn things around and make a deep run in March, turnovers have to be sliced in half, or at least reduced significantly. There’s no doubt about it, the sloppiness with the ball could be the difference between making it to the second or third weekend in the NCAA Tournament or missing the Big Dance completely. This team needs to figure out what’s causing them to turn the ball over so much and fix it as soon as humanly possible.

2. Cassius Winston has the perfect feel for the offense

There may not be a better commander of his respective offense in the Big Ten at the point guard position than Cassius Winston. Although he freshman is still coming off the bench, he is proving more valuable at the point guard spot than Tum Tum Nairn. That was even more evident on Tuesday as he recorded nine assists to go along with eight points while Tum Tum had four assists and didn’t reach the scoring column. Start Cassius.

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3. Alvin Ellis III deserves more minutes

I’ll admit it, I’ve been a doubter of Alvin Ellis III’s ability over the past couple of years. People kept telling me he deserved more minutes, but what I saw from him on the court Tuesday night was real. Although he may not be the most effective passer or playmaker, Ellis III has a devastating shot from long range and he was even solid on the boards. He finished with six 3-pointers (he was 5-for-5 in the first few minutes) and seven rebounds. Compared to Eron Harris, Ellis III was the more important player.

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