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Kansas Basketball: 3 keys for Jayhawks 2021-22 matchup vs Michigan State

By Cooper Watson

LAWRENCE, KANSAS - FEBUARY 3: Big Jay the Kansas Jayhawks mascot entertains against the Texas Longhorns at Allen Fieldhouse on February 3, 2020 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KANSAS - FEBUARY 3: Big Jay the Kansas Jayhawks mascot entertains against the Texas Longhorns at Allen Fieldhouse on February 3, 2020 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State
Mitch Lightfoot Kansas Basketball (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

2. Clean the defensive glass

A staple of every Spartan team under Tom Izzo is their offensive rebounding. Although this year’s team might appear slightly undersized, forwards Joey Hauser and Malik Hall both excelled at offensive rebounding last season, ranking 19th and 12th in the Big 10, respectively. Couple that with center Marcus Bingham, Jr. and this Sparty team will be on the hunt for second-chance points.

Although Izzo believes they have fixed their point guard issues from last season, this is still a team that struggled to score last season. Kansas needs to make Michigan State earn their buckets by cleaning the defensive glass, taking away any easy putbacks, or kick-out three-pointers.

Not having Jalen Wilson, KU’s best returning defensive rebounder by percentage, will make that slightly more difficult, but having a 6-8 sixth-year forward in Mitch Lightfoot who they can plug in should help offset Wilson’s absence with regard to rebounding.

Michigan State’s offensive identity is still up in the air, although they have the talent to address last year’s concerns. Kansas should make them expedite that process in game one with an emphasis on defensive rebounding.

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