The Sweet 16 is upon us and that means it's time to start taking a look at the matchups. Ole Miss and Michigan State basketball will match up in the Sweet 16 on Friday night with a trip to the Elite Eight against the winner of Auburn vs. Michigan on the line.
We've already taken a look at some of the Spartans' top advantages in the matchup, but what about some disadvantages? I've got you covered.
1. Three-point shooting
Ole Miss isn't an "elite" 3-point shooting team, by any means, but the Rebels do make about 34 percent of their shots from deep which is good for 122nd in the country. No, that's nothing to write home about, but with Michigan State making around 30 percent from deep, it's only No. 328 in the country. Basically, Ole Miss can make defenses pay more than MSU can.
And if the Rebels get hot from deep, that could be a problem.
2. Turnovers
Michigan State isn't exactly "turnover happy", but compared to Ole Miss, that might be the case. In fact, the Rebels rank fourth in the country in turnovers per game at just under nine while the Spartans are 150th. They don't turn it over a ton, but the miscues are definitely there.
If Michigan State can't force turnover, fast-break points may be limited.
3. Forcing turnovers
In the same breath as the previous disadvantage for the Spartans, Ole Miss also forces more turnovers than the Spartans. In fact, the Rebels rank No. 34 in the country in opponents turnovers per game while Michigan State is No. 224. That means that Ole Miss makes up for its lack of rebounding by being scrappy and forcing turnovers.
For a team that likes to play fast like Michigan State, that could lead to some sloppy play.