The Michigan State basketball team has one game under its belt on its Spain trip after the Spartans defeated the Madrid All-Stars on Thursday afternoon. But don’t get too distracted this offseason, as MSU still has two more games to play on Sunday and Tuesday.
Overall, Michigan State played pretty well considering it was their first game of the season, but there’s no denying that there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
Before the team ends its trip and disappears from the public eye until November, here are three things I hope Michigan State will improve on in its next two games in Spain.
I’m never one to overreact to preseason games, especially those that take place in August, but the group’s 3-point defense was pretty pathetic against Madrid on Thursday.
Teams always make shots, and sometimes difficult shots. When Michigan State’s opponents make contested three-point shots, you have to take your hat off to them. But that wasn’t the case against Madrid.
MSU allowed way too many three-pointers, and Madrid more than took advantage of those opportunities. Michigan State even fouled a three-pointer late in the fourth quarter, which is the biggest mental mistake you can make at that point in the game.
I’d like to blame Michigan State for all of those chances they gave up early in the season due to defensive rotations. That’s something that can easily be fixed and with more practice they’ll get it right. But the number of chances is still concerning and it would be nice to see that improve in the next two games.
