Michigan State has been great in March Madness so far. They first took a 92-67 victory over North Dakota State, before knocking off Louisville 77-69. This has been led by two stellar performances by Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. Now, the Spartans are set to face UConn in the Sweet 16.
As Tom Izzo prepares his team for face off against the Huskies, he revealed his one worry while appearing on the Rich Eisen Show.
“Lately we've turned the ball over too much and that's my one worry. … Hopefully we can straighten that out in these three, four days here,” Izzo said.
Michigan State was not great when it came to turning over the ball this year. They averaged 11.6 turnovers per game, which was 193rd in the nation. Further, they turned over the ball on 14.6 percent of plays, which was 192nd in the nation. Still, the turnovers have been worse as of late. Against North Dakota State, the team turned over the ball 12 times, but still look a 25-point victory.
The Spartans then turned over the ball 15 times against Louisville, including five turnovers from Jeremy Fears Jr.
Meanwhile, UConn forces turnovers well. Opponents turn the ball over on average 12 times per game against UConn, while they are 137th in the nation in steals per game. Further, UConn is 14th in the nation in blocks per game, with 5.1 per game.
Michigan State is looking to make it back to the Elite Eight for a second straight season. It would be the first time they made the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons since 2014 and 2015.
