Tom Izzo upset with turnovers leading to transition points in NCAA Tournament opener

No. 9 seed Michigan State jumped out to an early first-half lead against No. 8 seed Mississippi State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, the first on the day’s full slate of games.

The Spartans were hot behind the 3-point line early on, opening up a 31-24 halftime lead.

But coach Tom Izzo wasn’t overly pleased with his team’s performance, pointing out a few areas in particular that he wanted to see his team improve in a sideline interview with CBS’ Allie LaForce.

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“Did a hell of a job on the rebounding, that was a big thing,” Izzo said. “We defended them pretty good. The turnovers have led to baskets, and (Tre) Holloman‘s got to do a better job taking care of it. They had two lobs there. They’re good at it. Their strength. I wouldn’t say our weakness, but we’ve got to do a better job of it.”

Mississippi State scored 14 points off turnovers in the first half.

One of the big factors in the first half was foul trouble for Mississippi State big man Cameron Matthews, who picked up two fouls in the first four minutes of the game. He had to hit the bench and the Bulldogs missed his production.

And that wasn’t the only issue Mississippi State was dealing with in the frontcourt.

DJ Jeffries playing hurt in NCAA Tournament

Mississippi State forward D.J. Jeffries isn’t at 100% health, but he wasn’t going to miss out on playing in the Bulldogs’ first NCAA Tournament game since 2018. So, despite being banged up, head coach Chris Jans was trying to manage how much Jeffries go on the floor early against Michigan State.

Speaking with LaForce about halfway through the first half and following an extended Spartans run, Jans shared a bit about Jeffries. The forward had been visibly a bit gimpy on the floor.

“Yeah he got injured in the Auburn game down the stretch and he hasn’t really practiced much since the SEC Tournament,” Jans said. “He’s trying to give it a go.” 

And getting down to the Spartans early in the NCAA Tournament opener, Jans was actually upset with the offensive lapses for his team fueling the Michigan State offense.

“Just our lack of execution offensively,” Jans said. “We knew they would be heavy in the gaps, scraping the ball and we just haven’t settled in offensively and we’ve had too many turnovers and they’ve converted them into baskets.”

On3’s Andrew Graham also contributed to this report.