Michigan Basketball: 2019-20 keys for Wolverines to beat Michigan State
By Adam Childs
2. Stop the Spartans from running
Michigan State loves to play fast. The Wolverines are wanting to play faster this year also. But the Spartans might be the best team in the country at running off of made baskets. The Wolverines have to stop that if they want to win.
The Wolverines will still try and run with the Spartans, but they have to still control the pace and that includes keeping the Spartans from running off made baskets.
Michigan State is very good in the half-court, but they spur their runs by getting quick baskets on the run. They also thwart opponent’s runs by coming right back and scoring quickly. They take the wind right out of the other team’s sails when they score a few seconds after the other team does.
The Wolverines match up well with the Spartans in the half-court and can limit their opportunities that way. They pressure shots and have rebounded well this year and will need to continue to do that in this game.
But the most important thing for the Wolverines to do on defense is to keep the Spartans from running. Do that and they have a great shot of winning this game.