Michigan State Basketball: 3 reasons why Spartans are currently struggling

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 2: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans argues a call during the second half of a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Breslin Center on January 2, 2020, in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State defeated Illinois 76-56. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

1 of 4

Michigan State Basketball (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) /

Michigan State Basketball started the season off strong, but have since dropped three in a row. What’s behind this?

This is certainly not how Michigan State Basketball is used to starting its season.

The Spartans started off the season hot, winning their first six games of the 2020 campaign. Since then, they’ve dropped three straight games in conference play. Blowout road losses to Northwestern and Minnesota, as well as a home loss on Christmas Day to Wisconsin highlight that there are some real issues with this MSU squad that limits their overall potential and prevents them from winning a fourth straight Big Ten regular-season title. It is the first time they have dropped the first three games in the conference since the 2001-2002 season.

Michigan State fans are used to seeing the Spartans start off a bit slow, but figure it out in time for the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. But they’ve never started off this slow. So far, the Spartans are dead last in the Big Ten in offensive and defensive efficiency. Who could have seen that coming from a Tom Izzo team, even in 2020?

But what has gone wrong for MSU in the last few weeks? They looked very good against Duke in Cameron Indoor, but since then have not looked like the team many thought they’d be. Is it possible that Michigan State was overrated? At this point, that looks true.

Let’s break down the reasons behind Michigan State’s early struggles and see if we can find some solutions for the reeling team in green and white.

Home/Michigan State Spartans