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Michigan State Basketball: 3 keys to turnaround after horrid Big Ten start

By Connor Muldowney

Michigan State's Joey Hauser, right, celebrates with Malik Hall, after Hall was fouled on a dunkduring the second half of the game against Rutgers on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.210105 Msu Rutgers 168a
Michigan State's Joey Hauser, right, celebrates with Malik Hall, after Hall was fouled on a dunkduring the second half of the game against Rutgers on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.210105 Msu Rutgers 168a /
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Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball are looking for answers after an ugly start to Big Ten play. What are the keys to a turnaround?

After what has seemed like a year-long break in action due to a COVID-19 outbreak for Michigan State basketball, the Spartans will be looking to turn things around.

The last time Michigan State took the court, it looked unbeatable in the first half, building a 15-point lead over a surging Purdue team and extending that to 17 in the second half before watching it melt away due to poor offense and mismanaged lineups. Most of the loss can be blamed on Tom Izzo for matching Joey Hauser up with Trevion Williams who scored 24 second-half points, but it also has a lot to do with the lack of offense — 12 minutes without a field goal will do that.

Michigan State dropped to 2-4 in Big Ten play when it looked like it was about to win its third straight game and pull even at 3-3. It was a devastating loss.

It’s clear that a turnaround is needed. What can the Spartans do to lead one?

3. Getting more from big men

We saw it against Purdue: Michigan State just doesn’t have the experienced bodies to match up with some of the Big Ten’s best bigs.

Last year, the Spartans had Xavier Tillman to lock down some of the league’s top big men such as Luka Garza, Kofi Cockburn and Jalen Smith. This year? There’s a handful of bigs who could give solid minutes but no one is standing out and taking control of the post. Not on either end of the floor.

Right now, Tom Izzo has Thomas Kithier starting, but he may not be the most reliable option. He gets bodied quite a bit by opposing bigs. Julius Marble is a decent option and usually produces when he’s given a shot — which is rare. Marcus Bingham Jr. is an enigma. He has elite shot-blocking abilities but can’t seem to put it all together. Malik Hall can be a solid force down low. Mady Sissoko is raw but he’s proving that he can give huge defensive minutes.

Getting more from these bigs on both ends of the floor will go a long way, especially with a tough stretch approaching.

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