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Michigan State Basketball: 5 keys to victory over LSU in Sweet 16

By Connor Muldowney

DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 21: Aaron Henry #11, Matt McQuaid #20, Cassius Winston #5, Xavier Tillman #23, and Kenny Goins #25 of the Michigan State Spartans stand on the court during their game in the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament against the Bradley Braves at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 21: Aaron Henry #11, Matt McQuaid #20, Cassius Winston #5, Xavier Tillman #23, and Kenny Goins #25 of the Michigan State Spartans stand on the court during their game in the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament against the Bradley Braves at Wells Fargo Arena on March 21, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Can Michigan State basketball get the job done against LSU to advance to the Elite Eight? The Spartans will need to do these five things for that to happen.

Tom Izzo knew his team had the talent to make the Sweet 16 and end the three-year drought, but fans were relieved to see Michigan State officially capture a spot after beating Minnesota.

Michigan State may not be the deepest team left in the tournament, but it has just as good a chance to win the national title as any. A win over LSU (28-6) on Friday night would send the Spartans to their first Elite Eight since 2014-15 and send home a distraction-riddled LSU team.

The Tigers have been without head coach Will Wade for the tournament after a wiretap scandal but they’ve been playing a motivated brand of basketball.

What do the Spartans need to do in order to beat LSU?

5. Win the points in the paint

Often times this season, we’ve seen Michigan State rely heavily on the three-ball. If the Spartans are going to down the talented Tigers, they need to feed the post and get the LSU bigs into foul trouble while also scoring more points in the paint.

Naz Reid, Kavell Bigby-Wiliams and Emmitt Williams, as well as Darius Days, all have the ability to score down low, but if the Spartans can get one or two of those guys into foul trouble while also feeding the post all game, they’ll be able to force the Tigers into some low-percentage buckets.

Michigan State will need big games out of Xavier Tillman and Nick Ward if they’re going to pull out a win over the Tigers. If they can both score in double figures and combine for 15-20 rebounds, the Spartans will be in good shape.

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