NDSU presents one particular problem that have Tom Izzo and Michigan State concerned

Forget the 16.5 point spread, Tom Izzo isn't taking North Dakota State lightly because he knows that styles make fights and the Bison have a style of play that could give the Spartans some trouble.

North Dakota State, the Summit conference champions, will launch it from the outside. The Bison employ a guard-heavy lineup, averaging nearly 26 three-point attempts a game, and they can knock the outside shots down with the best of them.

"Where do upsets happen more of the time? When people get hot from the three. So is that concerning, 'hell yes, it's concerning'," Izzo said.

Tom Izzo is weary of North Dakota State's shooters

Izzo particularly singled out guards Damari Wheeler-Thomas, Trevian Carson and Andy Stefonowicz as players that can heat up from the perimeter at any time. There's also 6-foot-9 forward Treyson Anderson, who is shooting 37 percent from three. 

"They are playing eight guys and six of them can shoot threes. They've got a couple of guards that could really shoot it," Izzo said. "They are all knock-down shooters, they're all shooting 40 percent or more from the three [and] they've got a big man that can really shoot it."

What makes this matchup particularly tricky is how lax the Spartans' defense has been against three-pointers over the past month. Teams are shooting well over 40 percent on 3-pointers against Michigan over the past five games and UCLA shot nearly 50 percent (48.1) in beating the Spartans in the Big Ten quarterfinals.

Michigan State is going to have an incredible size and strength advantage, obviously, and the Spartans are going to use that size to force North Dakota State to defend in the paint and, hopefully, wear them down to the point of where the shooting threat will fade in the second half. But Izzo is right to be weary of what the Bison do well and if they get off to a hot start, it's going to be a bigger battle than the Spartans want to have this early in the tournament.