Michigan State Basketball: 3 takeaways from ugly win over Nebraska

Feb 6, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Aaron Henry (0) dribbles the ball as forward Malik Hall (25) sets a pick and Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Dalano Banton (45) defends during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

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Feb 6, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Aaron Henry (0) passes as Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Lat Mayen (11) defends during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Sloppy, lazy turnovers were concerning

There were points in the game where Michigan State looked like the Spartans of old, passing the ball crisply around the perimeter and inside out, finding the open man and then most of the remaining time was spent scrambling after poor passes and lazy play.

Michigan State has let teams hang around this season because of sloppy play and a prime example of that was against Purdue a few weeks ago. The Spartans were up 17 points in the second half and then that lead melted away which led to a loss as the offense was ugly and turnovers were plentiful.

The same thing happened on Saturday night against Nebraska. The Spartans were turning the ball over at an alarming rate, finishing with 22 fouls to just 16 assists. Not a great ratio.

If Michigan State was facing any other team than Nebraska, this game would not have been pretty in the other direction. This win did not make many people feel better about a potential turnaround and the turnovers and sloppy play were big reasons for the concern.

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