The roadmap to a third National Championship isn’t convincing for Michigan State, and their self-inflicted troubles on the court could be the reason. Tom Izzo’s team faces No. 2 UConn in the Round of 16 of March Madness. In what is expected to be a tough game for the Spartans, head coach Izzo wants his team to work on one particular area to avoid humiliation at the hands of UConn.

While the team has been playing some good basketball in the NCAA tournament, Izzo highlighted turnovers as a major concern of his heading into the game.

“I think the one thing that really bothers me because you’re a football guy, and whenever they talk about the Super Bowl, they talk about rushing games and turnovers,” Izzo said on the Rich Eisen show. “Lately, we’ve turned the ball over too much, and that’s my one worry because UConn comes at you hard, and turnovers are going to be a big key. So, hopefully straighten it out in these three to four days.”

Izzo’s observation is pinpoint. Turnovers have been Michigan State’s Achilles heel this season. Their season stats echo the same message: they have given away 11.5 turnovers per game, exceedingly high for a team looking to beat the UConn Huskies and make a deep March Madness run.

In their recent game against Louisville, too, the Spartans gave away 15 turnovers. The Cardinals capitalized on 20 points off them, which shows how it could be a problem that haunts them against UConn. Izzo’s team did manage to cap off the game with an 8-point win, but the head coach, obviously, was frustrated with these persistent struggles with ball security.

“We actually played so well, we just had some foolish turnovers,” Izzo said in a post-game interview.

The point here is that, given their performance against a struggling Cardinals defense, the pre-game showdown against Dan Hurley’s team does not look great for the Spartans. The Huskies are quite formidable at forcing turnovers, averaging 11.94 per game this season. With a strong center in Tarris Reed Jr. and frontcourt player like Alex Karaban, they have scored over 65.1 points per game this season.

“They have a former player from Michigan, a kid named Reed (Tarris Reed Jr.) who has blossomed in his last two months,” Izzo said. “I mean, he had 31 points, 27 rebounds. He’s 6’11 and 270 lbs. He’s built more like a defensive lineman, but he’s done a hell of a job. And then you got a kind Karaban, who’s been there since UConn opened, and he’s as solid as a rock. They have a lot of players back, and Danny does a great job. So, it’ll be a war.”

Despite the threat UConn poses, Izzo trusts his players to deliver a top performance when the two sides meet.

Tom Izzo Counting on His Players to Stop UConn’s Mayhem

It will certainly be a challenge to contain UConn as they have five players averaging 10+ points this season, which indicates the variety of their offensive arsenal. However, Tom Izzo has built a Top-20 defensive team in the nation, giving away just 68.4 points per game. The Spartans also have a few players who could prove to be tricky for UConn.

“Cam (Ward), I think, is going to be very important. Coen could be if we went smaller, but I think Cam will be important. And Coop (Caron Cooper), he guarded him the first time. Coop’s got to be better, we’re going to make a few adjustments on coverages,” Izzo said in his pre-game press conference.

Ward and Carr are the go-to frontcourt players who will have the responsibility to defend the paint, along with Cooper from the center position in the game. In his limited time on the court, Ward has showcased immense defensive prowess, with his efforts on the glass, steals, and blocks right away.

On the other hand, Cooper is the steals leader for the Spartans this season and will therefore have to shoulder the defensive load. Not to forget Jeremy Fears Jr, who will have his own responsibility in guarding the perimeter as well as calling the shots in scoring and playmaking.

Despite the turnover issue and UConn’s formidable offense, given Tom Izzo’s DNA, the Spartans will be a tough team to take down. ESPN analytics also adds weight to it, giving the Huskies a 53.4% chance of winning while the Spartans trail at 46.6%, but March Madness has got its name due to its unpredictability, and Izzo definitely knows it better than a lot of people.