When teams go to the Breslin Center, offensively, they do not fare well. Jeremy Fears Jr., Jaden Akins and Tre Holloman suffocate guards, while Szymon Zapala, Carson Cooper and an improved Jaxon Kohler defend bigs at a high level.

MSU finished dominating Washington on Thursday evening, holding the Huskies to just 54 points on 32.7 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from three-point range. This Spartan defense has dominated all season long. 

With a tough schedule on the horizon, having guards who can defend the way Fears, Akins and Holloman can go a long way for Izzo. There is no drop-off in guard defense, no matter which guards are on the floor.

Even if the Spartans’ defenders are not great individually, the well-coached team defense makes up for it. Wings are often in the right spot, while the big men are protecting the rim and bringing down rebounds at a high level. 

Something this defense must improve on is forcing turnovers. MSU only forces around 12 turnovers a game, ranking 179th in the country. Jumping into more passing lanes and taking away offensive possessions from the opposing team could make Izzo’s defense one of the best in the country. 

While the Spartans have not shot the ball particularly well this season, their defense keeps them in every game and allows them to work on their offense. Having an elite defense should allow this MSU team to make another deep NCAA Tournament run in March.

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