Izzo: Less 'freedom' for Michigan State point guards until they improve with turnovers

EAST LANSING – The Michigan State basketball team’s propensity for turnovers this season continued Saturday, when the Spartans gave it away 17 times in a 64-62 home loss to Northwestern.

In a mea culpa Tuesday that included references to the New England Patriots’ turnover woes vs. Buffalo, Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray’s poor body language after interceptions vs. the Los Angeles Rams and Wisconsin’s ability to take care of the basketball compared to MSU, coach Tom Izzo promised changes before Friday night’s road game against the Badgers.

And that includes a more rigid set of instructions for point guards Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard — primarily cutting back some of their freedom and creativity running the offense.

“That has (to be) earned by those players,” Izzo said. “You don’t get a free rein here to do what you want to do.

“Each player has a job to do. … Yes, they will not have the freedom to do what they want until they show the ability to do what they want that meets with taking care of the ball.”

MSU possesses a sterling 14-3 record and Saturday’s loss to the Wildcats was its first in the Big Ten, but you wouldn’t necessarily think that listening to Izzo or taking a look at the downward trend in the Spartans’ ball-handling numbers.

In Saturday’s loss, they committed 12 of their 17 miscues in the first half, which turned into 16 Northwestern points and negated MSU’s 50% shooting. The Spartans entered halftime trailing, 38-33.

MSU is averaging a Big Ten-worst 14.5 turnovers per game, with Hoggard (2.5/game) and Walker (2.3/game) leading the Spartans in giveaways. They combined for five turnovers against Northwestern, four vs. Minnesota on Jan. 12, nine against Nebraska on Jan. 5 (seven by Hoggard) and four against Northwestern on Jan. 2.

“In my humble opinion, our point guards have to quit turning the ball over,” Izzo said.

To Hoggard, rectifying that issue means, to use a baseball analogy instead of football, settling for singles instead of home runs on the break.

"Just being the quarterback on this team, you just can't turn the ball over," Hoggard said. "Turnovers are deflating. You can't go down and guard for 30 seconds, then - since we like to fast break - come down and turn it over, and turn around and guard for another 30 seconds."

MSU is averaging 16.3 turnovers over its past three games, which comes off the heels of a good stretch in late December and early January, when the Spartans only gave it up 9 times per game against Oakland, High Point and Northwestern — all wins.

What Izzo would like to see is more performances such as the first game against the Golden Gophers on Dec. 8, a 75-67 win in which MSU turned the ball over just three times.

“We started winning, come back from COVID (in December), everybody thinks everything’s going to be great and I think we got a little fat and sassy, I really do,” Izzo said. “So now we’re not fat and sassy anymore.”

Wisconsin’s point guards, on the other hand, are at the other extreme. In Big Ten play, they’re second-to-last in turnovers at 7.3 per contest, and starter Brad Davison has just five turnovers in six games. The Spartan average ticks up very slightly to 14.7 in league games, with Walker/Hoggard combining for 31 turnovers in six games.

“I don’t think we’re really realizing how much those turnovers are sometimes foolish ones — beginning of the shot clock, not even getting a pass,” Izzo said. “I think Tyson is getting a feel for it, but I think A.J. has some work to do, which means we have some work to do.

“As they say, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing wrong over and over again. That is a problem that has to be rectified and I really think it will be and can be.”

Contact digital sports reporter Phil Friend at 517-377-1220 or pfriend@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Phil_Friend.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU basketball: Tyson Walker, A.J. Hoggard must cut out turnovers