Defense, intensity … what Michigan needs to do to beat MSU Friday

Michigan State has bounced back from a disappointing stretch, including a home loss to Indiana, with wins over Illinois and Purdue, and the Spartans could take a huge step toward a Big Ten title with a win at Michigan Friday night. It’s the Wolverines, though — not MSU — in first place and in control of their destiny with six games to go, and a victory would put them firmly in command. 

It won’t come easy. It rarely does against Michigan State, which views U-M as its biggest rival and usually plays every game against the Wolverines like it’s their last. Michigan players Danny Wolf and Nimari Burnett talked today of seeing the taunts and insults on social media, and they’re preparing for a battle. 

Assistant Kyle Church, the defensive scout for Friday night’s game, said it didn’t take long to get his attention when he watched past clips of games between the two teams. 

“It’s a little eye-opening,” he admitted “I would be lying if I said I fully grasp [the intensity], but we’re going to write a new chapter here on Friday night. I know our guys will be extremely excited to play. You know exactly what you’re going to get from Michigan State. They’re as consistent as they come with their approach, running … the offensive glass.

“What jumps off the page at you is they’re elite in transition, as they are every year for the last, however long coach [Tom Izzo] has been there. They just run so fast, all 5 of them. Obviously, the point guard catches the ball on the run, the wings are sprinting the wings, and the first big down puts pressure on the rim. It’s extremely difficult to guard.”

Especially when they’re playing with discipline and patient on offense, getting good looks inside like they did at will against Purdue Tuesday night. The Spartans rarely had to settle for jump shots, and while the Boilermakers didn’t have a rim protector like Vlad Goldin in the middle, MSU got way too many buckets on lobs, etc.

“They’re as disciplined as any team I’ve ever seen … every single possession trying to get off the floor as fast as possible, so we definitely have our hands full,” Church continued. “Our guys, I think a lot of them have played in this league and against Michigan State, but everybody I’ve talked to said, ‘you’re going to be blown away at how fast they run.’ That you just can’t replicate it.

“We showed them clips last night. They’re going to see more today, more tomorrow, more on game day, and then we’ll just try to prepare ourselves mentally for what we’re up against. Those first four minutes I think will be eye opening, but hopefully we can settle in quickly. They’re one of the best in the country relying on the free throw line to score, relying on the 2 points to score, and then towards the low end of the country and relying on the 3 pointer to score. So obviously, protecting the paint and keeping them off the line will be huge, huge focuses for us.”

And — hopefully — they won’t get worn down. MSU goes deeper into the bench, so fatigue could be a factor. They’ll also have to learn tendencies for more offensive players, Church noted, whether it’s overplaying a guy’s weak hand, whatever.

In short, there’s a lot to learn. On top of that, Michigan showed cracks in transition defense in an 86-83 win at Ohio State. 

“It’s got to be significantly better. That was one area that was a little bit disappointing,” Church said. “Obviously, [OSU] is a really good 3-point shooting team. Michigan State doesn’t rely on the 3 as much, but they obviously have good shooters, and we can’t leave those guys for easy rhythm threes. Those two areas have to tighten up and then … offensive rebounding.

“They’re going to see the physicality. We know exactly what Michigan State wants to do as far as their physicality. They’ve played like that for years, and they’re darn good at it. So, we have to mentally prepare ourselves, and we’ll tell the guys we have to prepare ourselves how we’re going to respond … to respond in the right way within the rule book because they’re great to get to the free throw line, too. They are very physical, but they also draw fouls and, and that’s a big part of their offense. 

“So, we’ve got our hands full. But … it’s going to be fun Friday.”

Especially for the winner, who will get a huge boost toward a conference title.