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Michigan State Basketball suffered a tough loss at home to the Penn State Nittany Lions last night, 75-70. Michigan State brought it close towards the end but could not overcome Penn State. The Spartans are now 16-7 overall and 8-4 in Big Ten Conference play.
Here are three takeaways from this game:
1. Turnovers Haunt Michigan State Basketball
As a team, MSU ended this game with a whopping 15 total turnovers. The Nittany Lions capitalized on this high number of turnovers, shooting eight more shots than the Spartans. Turnovers always hurt but sting even more in close games. Penn State’s defense was on full display, forcing turnovers left and right throughout this game. Michigan State must work on reducing turnovers immediately. Especially during this crucial stretch in February.
2. Cassius Winston Needs Support
Cassius Winston is absolutely excellent but he needs help. Penn State trapped Winston and forced him to pass the ball away. Teams want other MSU players to make critical decisions in key moments, not Cassius. Winston scored 25 total points against Penn State. The bench contributed 18 total points and the other starting four players contributed 27 total points. Teammates can and will step up to help Cassius.
3. The Big Ten Is Really Good
I think people really underrate the Big Ten right now. Andy Katz put 10 Big Ten teams into his most recent March Madness Bracket Prediction. Competition is incredibly arduous and no game is an easy win. Even Tom Izzo gave credit to the impressive depth of high-quality teams in the Big Ten conference. I think more people will wise up to the Big Ten’s strength towards the end of the season, but, only time will tell.
Michigan State travels to the Crisler Center this Saturday for a 12 P.M. game. You can watch this game on Fox. Stay locked on SpartansWire for more MSU Basketball coverage to come.
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