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Michigan State Basketball: 3 takeaways from sloppy win over Nebraska

By Connor Muldowney

Michigan State's Max Christie, left, celebrates with Tyson Walker after making a 3-pointer against Nebraska during the second half on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.220105 Msu Neb 117a
Michigan State's Max Christie, left, celebrates with Tyson Walker after making a 3-pointer against Nebraska during the second half on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.220105 Msu Neb 117a /
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Michigan State basketball hosted a bottom-dwelling Nebraska team on Wednesday night. What did we learn from this Michigan tune-up?

With the Michigan game on the horizon, Michigan State basketball needed to clean some things up in order to get ready for the rivalry battle in Ann Arbor.

Unfortunately, Nebraska started Wednesday’s game red-hot, making every shot it took in the first five minutes to take an early lead and the Spartans’ turnover woes didn’t help matters. Michigan State led by four at the half and then pull away to win by 12 when the final buzzer sounded.

It wasn’t a pretty win as the Spartans turned the ball over 19 times, but in the Big Ten, you take any victory you can get — just ask Purdue. Michigan State improves to 4-0 in conference play and 13-2 overall, but now the focus is on Michigan.

What’d we learn from the sloppy win on Wednesday?

3. Self-inflicted turnovers are only glaring weakness

Michigan State is a near-complete team but there’s one thing that is holding it back from being considered “great” instead of “really good” and that’s the self-inflicted turnovers.

There are some areas in which the Spartans could improve but nothing glaring. The only real weakness that could end up holding this team back would have to be the unforced turnovers. They had 10 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the game against the Cornhuskers which is just flat-out unacceptable and a good majority of those were lazy passes and sloppy mistakes.

That needs to change if this team wants to make a run at the Big Ten title.

Tom Izzo was furious all night long at the turnovers and 19 against a team like Nebraska is just not going to cut it. Guys like Joey Hauser, AJ Hoggard, Tyson Walker, and Julius Marble need to clean things up.

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