Michigan State basketball sees similarities in Miss. State. Who'll win NCAA tournament game?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — To hear Mississippi State players talk about their program is like listening to Tom Izzo talk about some of the best he’s had with Michigan State basketball.

“Defense, rebounding, and toughness,” senior Shakeel Moore described his Bulldogs.

“Just being really physical, really getting after it, picking it up on defense,” continued Cameron Matthews. “Just trying to make defense into offense.”

“It's probably going to be the most physical game they played all year,” Dashawn Davis, a third senior, added.

A long, athletic group that, as star freshman guard Josh Hubbard said, thrives on “making the other team uncomfortable, putting them in bad situations.”

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Exactly what the Spartans hope to do defensively as well.

No. 9 seed Michigan State already knows how good No. 8 seed Mississippi State’s halfcourt defense is as they head into their first-round NCAA tournament matchup Thursday at Spectrum Center (12:15 p.m./CBS). The Bulldogs (21-13) are one of the nation’s best at defending the 3-point line and have shown the ability to use their size to their advantage against opposing shooters.

Which makes the Spartans (19-14) feel they have the blueprint to find offensive success: force turnovers and get out and run in transition.

“We're always battle tested when it comes around this time of year,” senior point guard A.J. Hoggard said. “So we're kind of ready for any style of basketball that needs to be played to win a game.”

Here is what to watch for as the two MSUs meet for just the fourth time ever and the first since 1973 to kick off the first full slate of NCAA tournament games early Thursday afternoon.

Scouting report

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Get running

Izzo had his team during Wednesday’s open practice work on long outlet passes from the Spartans’ guards to their big men running the middle of the floor at a fast pace.

The theory being twofold: that if Michigan State can get out in transition, it would prevent Mississippi State from setting up its half-court defese; and also to try and wear down the Bulldogs.

The Spartans rank 20th in the country in fastbreak points at 15.36 and are 27th in committing just 9.8 turnovers per game. They also are 100th at 7.2 steals per game and 122nd at 12.48 turnovers forced per game.

“It starts trying to get five guys back in transition, which is obviously very difficult against a Michigan State team,” Bulldogs coach Chris Jans said. “If we can get five-on-five, we like our chances a lot more to have a productive possession.”

The Bulldogs rank 46th nationally in steals at 8.1 per game while forcing 12.56 turnovers (118th). They allow just 69.1 points per game while scoring 74.8 and are tied for 172nd at 9.71 fastbreak points a contest.

“We know one of their flaws is that they turn the ball over a little bit,” center Carson Cooper said.” So us being able to capitalize off that, and especially off getting clean rebounds — that's gonna be a big thing, too. Overall, I think if we play Spartan basketball, which is defend, rebound and run, I think we're gonna be in a good shape.”

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According to kenpom.com, Izzo's team is ninth in adjusted defense (93.7) in points allowed per 100 possessions, while the Bulldogs are 18th (95.7).

Guard Jaden Akins said the Spartans need to focus on “making crisp passes” to protect the ball.

“They really play the passing lanes well,” he said of the Bulldogs, “and I feel like they're looking to get those type of steals on lazy passes. It's just attacking a smart manner.”

Arc de triomphe

Michigan State has struggled shooting from long distance over the past month, making just 30.8% from deep over the past six games. The Spartans have been up and down from outside all season, starting 2-for-31 in the first two games but making 39.2% over the ensuing 25 games before the recent slide.

In Mississippi State, the Spartans will face the seventh-best in the nation in defending the 3-point line. The Bulldogs allow opponents to shoot just 29.4% from 3-point range on the year but are 4-11 in games in which opponents have made better more than 30% from beyond the arc.

“Everybody rallies to the ball, and they seem like they kind of want you to drive off the 3-point line instead of taking the shot based on what I've seen,” Akins said. “They close out hard.”

The Spartans’ 3-point defense also has been stingy for the most part, though the past five opponents are hitting at a 38.3% clip. For the season, Michigan State holds teams to 32.8% from deep, which ranks 131st nationally.

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Masked man

Cooper will be wearing a new, 3D-designed face mask after getting his nose bloodied in Friday’s Big Ten tournament loss to Purdue. The 6-foot-11, 240-pound big man said he it is inconclusive if his nose is broken, though it bled he said for a day and a half.

“I've never played with a mask on before this,” said Cooper, who started both Big Ten tournament games last week. “But I've got a lot of history of getting hit in the face. Just in my past as a goalie and everything like that, too, that kind of comes into play.”

Opponent update

The Bulldogs start a pair of athletic 6-7 forwards in Matthews (9.5 points/6.9 rebounds) and D.J. Jeffries (6.4 points/1.8 rebounds, both of whom are pests in passing lanes. They have combined for 125 of Mississippi State’s 275 steals on the season.

Cooper — along with 6-11 freshman Xavier Booker, 6-9 sophomore Jaxon Kohler and 6-9 senior Mady Sissoko — will try to contend with 6-11, 245-pound Tolu Smith III in the post (15.2 points/8.4 rebounds). The Bulldogs also have two other 6-10 big men in KeShawn Murphy and Saginaw native Jimmy Bell Jr. who have contributed some throughout the season.

But Hubbard has been the breakout player of the year. The 5-10, 190-pound freshman leads Mississippi State at 17.1 points on the season but has averaged 25.4 points over his last eight games.

“Make every shot he takes tough on him,” Hoggard said of defending Hubbard. “Don't give him nothing easy. No clean looks. … Don't give him too much space, because all he needs is a little bit to get a shot off.”

Chris Solari's prediction

If there is anything Izzo loves, it’s a chance to break free from Big Ten play to open things up. Only the Bulldogs know this and want to squelch the Spartans’ running game. But Michigan State continues to rely on its quick hands and defense to turn up the tempo, then gets critical made free throws down the stretch from its veterans to survive and advance to Saturday. The pick: Michigan State 69, Mississippi State 65.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball should see a lot of self in Miss. State