The Minnesota Gophers played hard but turned the ball over much too frequently tonight, which cost them a battle in East Lansing. For the most recent Spartan triumph, Tom Izzo was able to get two groups of players on the floor to accomplish what he wanted. These are the key lessons learned.
One: Mistakes. Michigan State scored 21 points as a result of Minnesota’s 19 turnovers. Six Gopher points resulted from five turnovers committed by Michigan State. That would be it, if you were searching for a single explanation for the Gophers’ defeat.
The fact that the frontcourt accounted for 14 of the 19 Gopher turnovers was extremely annoying. Pharrel Payne made three trips, and Dawson Garcia struggled to control the ball throughout his four
A half-court brawl. Although Minnesota frequently gave up the ball in the paint, they did a great job setting up post passes for players like Pharrel Payne and Dawson Garcia, as well as occasionally for other players like Jack Wilson, who made a huge move to score in the second half. Following a challenging game against Iowa from every angle, Ben Johnson and his staff performed admirably in managing plays to acquire excellent touches. The ball and player activity as well as the Minnesota halfcourt offense’s actions tonight were excellent.
Pharrel Payne did a fantastic job getting into position for touches, Cameron Christie and Braeden Carrington both made the open jumpers they got in space, and Dawson Garcia finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. He had trouble
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