Michigan State basketball is back for their second-round matchup game in the NCAA Tournament, gearing up for a game against Louisville in the Round of 32. This will be the first time the Spartans and Cardinals since 2021, and the first time in the NCAA Tournament since the 2015 Elite Eight.
After a dominating performance against North Dakota State, the Spartans aim to win the weekend against Louisville, and punch their ticket to the Sweet 16.
The Spartans come into the game as 4.5-point favorites, but this is a very close matchup, pairing two styles that clash against each other. Louisville plays fast, ranking 59th in tempo, and likes to get shots up early and often. Check out the full Louisville preview.
Here, we have put together three keys to victory for the Spartans to knock off Louisville and make the second weekend:
1. Perimeter/guard defense
Five of Louisville’s top six scorers are guards. The Cardinals are perimeter centric and lean on their perimeter play to combine for most of their scoring. That puts a major emphasis on the Spartans guards, who need to have a strong defensive performance, including Jordan Scott, Kur Teng and Trey Fort.
Louisville only sits at 77th in the nation in three-point percentage, but they are 9th in two-point percentage, and majority of that damage comes from their great guard play.
2. 3-Point Shooting
Louisville ranks as the No. 101 in the country for three-point defense, showing that the Spartans can exploit that facet of the game. The same two guards that are going to be responsible for a lot of defensive responsibility will also be responsible for living up to their three-point percentages.
Other than that, Jeremy Fears having a strong passing game, to go along with his own three-point shot, along with Jaxon Kohler being on, can be a real way for the Spartans to find the offense necessary to win this game.
3. Rebounding
It is a staple of Michigan State basketball, and is almost a key for every game, the Spartans have to dominate the glass. They have the size advantage, and Louisville ranks just No. 35 in defensive rebounding and No. 88 in offensive rebounding. There is a clear avenue for the Spartans to dominate the glass both offensively and defensively, using their size advantage.
Michigan State needs to lean on their strengths against a very game Louisville team, and rebounding is the center piece of those strengths.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Three keys to victory for Michigan State to defeat Louisville