Kansas State Basketball: 3 keys to beating Michigan State in Sweet 16 matchup
By Brian Emory
Avoid turnovers
One marquee factor in Kansas State’s thrilling Round of 32 victory over Kentucky was the turnover battle. Jerome Tang has a balanced group that typically plays well on both ends of the floor, but this is a group prone to turnovers on the offensive end. In Sunday’s exhilarating victory over Kentucky, Kansas State won the turnover battle by a margin of 16-8. This was a bit of a season anomaly for a team that is one of the worst in all of college basketball to turn the rock over.
Meanwhile, the Spartans are one of the best teams in the country at taking care of the ball. Currently the Spartans are 1.5 point favorites in Vegas. So in a game that is expected to be this close, if the Wildcats lose the turnover margin even slightly it could spell the end of the road.
When Kansas State lost 80-67 to TCU in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, the Wildcats turned the ball over 20 times compared to just 9 for the Horned Frogs. Over Kansas State’s nine losses on the year, the Wildcats have lost the turnover battle in seven of them. The margin for error will be razor thin in Thursday night’s clash, so if the Wildcats are to win this matchup they will need to avoid a significant disparity in the turnover battle if not win it straight up.