Michigan State Basketball: Keys to beat LSU in the Sweet 16

Michigan State basketball has national title aspirations. But they cannot achieve that goal without taking down LSU in the Sweet 16. How can they get it done?

Michigan State Basketball is returning to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2015. The Spartans will now take on LSU in a battle between regular-season conference champions. Michigan State looks to advance to the Elite Eight, but they first must get past the Tigers and it will not be an easy task.

Michigan State enters the Sweet 16 with a 30-6 record, having won the Big Ten championship and Big Ten tournament title prior to the NCAA Tournament. LSU is entering this contest at 28-6, having won the SEC regular-season title. Both teams have only lost six times each this season and the Tigers and Spartans do not want that seventh loss happening when they play one another in the Round of 16.

The Spartans are led by their Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo, who has over 600 career wins and is now in his 24th season with the program. Tony Benford is 3-1 as LSU’s interim head coach, who has coached since the suspension of head coach Will Wade. It appears to be an advantage for the Spartans having a veteran coach versus a coach who is the intern coach due to the head coach being suspended. However, the players on the court will determine the outcome of this ballgame.

1. Look to score in transition.

The Spartans need to push the ball on fast breaks and look for opportunities to score before the stingy LSU defense can set itself up. When the Spartans score in the 80s and 90s, they more than likely do so because Cassius Winston is getting the ball up the court quickly on the inbounds pass or from a defensive rebound. He is then looking to find a streaking big man for a dunk or easy layup or a wing spotting up to take a wide-open three.

Coach Izzo has put an emphasis on improving the Spartans’ fast break this season. No matter who is getting Winston the ball so that he can push the ball up quickly to find an open man, the Spartans offense flourishes when they are executing their transition offense.

2. Seniors need to lead the way. 

Kenny Goins and Matt McQuaid need to be able to perform well, especially on offense, in this matchup. On defense, McQuaid and Goins have been very consistent in playing at least respectable defense. Goins’ rebounding ability and McQuaid’s ability to defend the opponent’s best wing has greatly benefited the Spartans this season. However, their offense is what will be needed most against the Tigers.

It is no secret that LSU plays a style of pressure defense in order to force their opponents to turn over the ball. The Tigers thrive on creating turnovers, which, in turn, helps their offense. Goins and McQuaid not only need to avoid turning the ball over but also need to hit 3-point shots to spread out the aggressive LSU defense. Both seniors have shown the ability to make a high percentage of their 3-point attempts. McQuaid needs to play similar to how he did against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament and Goins needs to be able to make threes when left open on the perimeter.

3. Come out of the gates firing. 

The Spartans have not had great starts in most of their games as of late. Michigan State has had some great, if not amazing, second-half performances, but their first-half performances, for the most part, have been less impressive. The Spartans have had their fair of struggles going into halftime.

The further Michigan State goes into the tournament, the better competition they will face. Having poor, or even mediocre, performances in the first half may prevent the Spartans from having a chance at making a comeback. If need be, Izzo needs to use timeouts early to prevent a first-half deficit. Michigan State needs to play strong from the tip and not allow LSU to gain confidence early.