Michigan State basketball: Good, great, bad, and ugly from big win over Baylor

Great: Defense

Michigan State basketball set the tone on the very first possession against Baylor. On the Bears’ first offensive possession, Michigan State forced a shot clock violation. It didn’t get any easier for Baylor as MSU was hounding them the entire game. Michigan State forced the Bears into 21 turnovers, almost double their season average of 12. Six different players recorded a steal, Tyson Walker and A.J Hoggard leading the way with five and three, respectively. 

Baylor is among the nation’s best in how many points they are averaging per game. Going into the matchup with the Spartans, Baylor was averaging 91.1 points, good for fifth in the country. Thanks to Michigan State’s elite defense, their average dropped to just 88.4, eighth best. Holding a team averaging 91 points per game to just 17 in the first half is nothing short of incredible.

Michigan State will need to continue this in just a few days with Indiana State coming to town, who is 10th with 88 points per game. 

Michigan State’s defense is now up to No. 8 in the country after the stellar performance on Saturday.