Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from comeback win vs. Penn State

4. Nick Ward must find a way to combat double teams

It’s frustrating to watch a quality player like Nick Ward almost forget fundamentals when he’s trapped and or doubled. Since Big Ten play began, he’s been getting an extra defender in the post each time he touches the ball and that’s led to some sloppy play and turnovers on his part.

Why is he so confused when he gets that extra defender even though he should expect it at this point? It’s because he’s playing out too far in order to receiver the pass. When he’s 10-15 feet away from the hoop, he’s not in his comfort zone and that’s when you see him panic and either throw horrid cross-court passes or try to take on two defenders and get up a contested shot.

Ward needs to be posting up deeper and he must watch film of other bigs who get double teams on a regular basis — take Isaac Haas, for example. Once he gets that ball and feels an extra defender, he needs to get it back out instead of trying to prove he can take on two guys and pray for a foul.

Too often he’s using a post move to try and beat the first defender, only to run into the other, putting up a poor shot. If he passes the ball out, posts deeper and gets it right back, he’ll be able to put on a move right away before the second defender comes and have a clear path at an uncontested shot.