Michigan State week has always been a huge week for me as a Michigan fan and eventually as a Michigan basketball player. I have watched them closely for years and even played against some of their best players in high school. I played against guys like Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman in high school, and played against them in Coach Izzo’s system for years. Even though some of the faces have changed since I have been there, Coach Izzo and Michigan State run a distinct system and have multiple areas that present challenges for this year’s Michigan team.

Transition Offense and Flow

Michigan State has always been an elite transition team in college basketball. MSU usually has their point guard sprint up the floor even after made baskets to prevent the defense from getting set. AJ Hoggard and Tyson Walker have been lethal this season in attacking in transition. I have detailed one of Michigan State’s transition sets below. The coaching staff teaches the guards to cross the middle of the floor in transition when dribbling the ball up the floor.

In this scenario, Michigan State gets the ball immediately after a Nebraska basket. Tyson Walker catches the ball on one side of the court, and dribbles across the middle of the floor. This strategy prevents the defense from getting set, and switching sides of the floor is dangerous for opponents. Nebraska didn’t get back quick enough on this play and it resulted in a ball screen for Tyson Walker.

Walker now has good position on the ball screen and the defender gets caught on Bingham’s screen. The offense begins to flow even though there isn’t a set play call. Michigan State’s starting lineup of Joey Hauser, Max Christie, Gabe Brown, Tyson Walker, and Marcus Bingham do a great job of running actions when there isn’t a play call. They set screens and move well without the basketball. Particularly in transition, Walker usually has the ball but Bingham and Hauser set screens to get Gabe Brown and Max Christie easy shots.

After their initial transition attack didn’t work, Tyson Walker directed Bingham to go set a screen for Max Christie. In this game, Michigan needs to stay attached to Christie and Brown and fight over the top of any screen that comes their way. If they stay close to the shooters, then they can force tougher passes and make them drive into Hunter Dickinson in the paint.

The transition offense of Michigan State creates a lot of issues for many opponents. Michigan’s core players need to communicate “early and often” to establish who stops the ball as well as who guards the rim. Michigan State’s breakneck pace catches a lot of teams sleeping on defense; if Michigan can talk through each play quickly, then they can force MSU turnovers.

Roll and Replace Action with Joey Hauser and Malik Hall

A roll and replace action is one of the most common plays in college basketball with power forwards that can shoot. Malik Hall and Joey Hauser shoot 55.6 and 34.1 percent from three respectively. Hall has great efficiency if given space, while Hauser shoots a higher volume of threes.

In this set, Marcus Bingham sets a ball screen for Tyson Walker who has the ball at the top of the key. This play is a special kind of a roll and replace action called a “Spain” action. Bingham sets the screen and rolls to the basket while Malik Hall replaces Bingham’s position at the top of the key.

At the top of the key, Malik Hall has multiple options. If he is open, he can shoot the three. In this scenario, Nebraska defends this play well and Hall has to advance the ball to Max Christie on the wing. This creates more movement after the initial roll and replace didn’t work. If Joey Hauser is in the game, he will look to shoot the three if he has any sort of space on this play. Malik Hall will shoot if he has a lot of room but primarily looks to use his body and drive into defenders.

My main concern in guarding these two power forwards will be what Michigan decides to do when guarding this action. Moussa Diabate is a fantastic on-ball defender, and he could create a lot of havoc when Hauser and Hall have the ball. However, he struggles when having to guard a lot of movement off the ball. Michigan State will try to put him in positions where he has to make tough decisions on who to guard in these roll and replace scenarios, and they will attempt to get him into foul trouble early.

Rim Protection

Marcus Bingham Jr. has been one of the best shot blockers in the country this season. He averages 2.79 blocks per game in about 22 minutes per game. His rim presence and defensive impact, while he is on the floor, cannot be overlooked since Michigan has struggled shooting the ball from three-point range this season. Michigan State will look to force Michigan to drive into the lane and into Bingham. Michigan can remedy this in a variety of ways by bringing Bingham out of the paint; however, I believe the most important way to wear Bingham down will be giving Hunter Dickinson touches in the post. Going directly at a shot-blocker will make it easier to draw fouls and put pressure on Bingham at the rim. However, if players try to take finesse shots to avoid contact with Bingham, he will most likely block the shot.

I believe that Bingham’s defensive presence will be a huge part of Michigan’s offensive success this game. Michigan can keep Bingham off the court by forcing him into foul trouble, or they can establish a post presence that he couldn’t guard. Bingham’s thin frame will make it an advantageous matchup for Dickinson, but Michigan needs to feed Hunter the ball.

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