Michigan State Basketball: 3 keys to beat Kansas State in Seet Sixteen matchup
By Ryan Kay
The Spartans need their big men to be a strength and not a weakness against the Wildcats.
No one is expecting Michigan State to feed the post and attack Kansas State’s interior defense with the Spartan’s centers and forwards on Thursday night. However, Michigan State needs its big men to be productive and solid on defense. They also need to be able to finish around the rim, especially if they receive a pass from any of the Michigan State guards who are able to penetrate the lane and dish to a wide-open Spartan underneath the basket for an easy two points.
Mady Sissoko, Jaxon Kohler, and Carson Cooper need to be solid on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball against Kansas State.
Michigan State’s strength is with its guards and its veteran wing players. However, all three of the above-mentioned players average less than six points a game as Sissoko averages just over five points a game, Kohler puts up three points a game, and Cooper averages just over a point and a half a game. Even on the defensive end, Sissoko averages a respectable 6.2 rebounds per game but even as the starting center for Michigan State, he is not the leading rebounder for the Spartans. Kohler averages just under three rebounds a game and Cooper averages just under one rebound per game.
They don’t need to put up a double-double on offense, they don’t need a plus-ten rebound and three-block performance either. They just need to not be a liability on either end of the floor and they need to make shots from six feet and within and they need to be able to box out who they are guarding and grab rebounds that are within their grasp.
Sissoko also doesn’t have to put up numbers as he did earlier in the season when he combined shot nine for fifteen for 30 points and 17 rebounds against Gonzaga and Kentucky. However, in 21 minutes against Marquette, he was perfect from the field and free throw line for 8 points to go along with 10 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. His production in the Spartans’ win against the Golden Eagles had a big impact on their advancing to the round of 16 and if he can be as productive against the Wildcats as he was against Marquette, Michigan State’s chances of winning increase significantly.
Cooper and Kohler, it seems take turns playing meaningful playing time this season. For example, Kohler only played one minute against Marquette and five minutes against USC but he played 15 minutes against Nebraska and 19 minutes against Indiana which helped the Spartans get the fourth seed and double bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Cooper played 16 minutes against Marquette and 13 minutes against USC but he only played a combined four minutes in two games against Ohio State late in the season.
Both players depending on the matchups against the Wildcats may be needed to help the Spartans win. Cooper had six points and four rebounds against USC and that helped more than you may think. Either way, one of them could provide valuable and much-needed minutes to guide Michigan State to victory over Kansas State.
Next. What happened to the preseason top-25 teams?. dark
Sissoko doesn’t have to be perfect defensively on defending on ball screens, Cooper doesn’t need to pull down eight rebounds and block three shots, and Kohler does need to get back to back baskets off of great post moves. They collectively just need to play their roles well and contribute in any way necessary that Izzo needs from them against Kansas State.