Locked On Spartans - Daily Podcast On Michigan State Spartans Football & Basketball · Locked On Podcast Network, Matt Sheehan

IZZO MAGIC: Michigan State basketball DEFIES Doubters; How MSU can defend UConn's DANGEROUS frontcourt

·34 min·2 clips

Jordan Scott may be asked to lock down Caravan while Cohen Carr handles Mullins and help defense.

1. Locked On Spartans centers this episode on Michigan State basketball’s Sweet 16 run and the upcoming matchup with UConn. 2. Matt Sheehan hosts Connor George, who played for Michigan State and is used here because he has direct experience with a past Final Four run. 3. The episode asks whether Tom Izzo’s track record and Michigan State’s defense can carry the Spartans through another weekend. 4. Connor says social media gives Izzo too much disrespect despite 28 straight NCAA tournaments and 17 Sweet 16s. 5. He points to the lack of lottery picks and five-star talent at Michigan State as part of why Izzo’s consistency stands out. 6. Connor says Izzo’s line about getting through one weekend before the next is tied to scouting and preparation. 7. The conversation breaks down how Michigan State defended Louisville with assignment-sound coverage and quick film work. 8. Connor describes dinner, film, bedtime film, and hotel walkthroughs as part of the short turnaround routine. 9. He says the staff can spend more time scouting the second opponent when the first game is over. 10. The UConn preview turns on Caravan, Reed, offensive rebounding, and keeping shooters from getting clean kick-out threes. 11. Connor says Carson Cooper and Jackson Kohler will matter because UConn’s bigs can punish weak rebounding. 12. He says Michigan State must gang rebound and close out instead of giving UConn easy inside-out rhythm shots. 13. The hosts debate whether Jordan Scott or Cohen Carr should get the main defensive assignment on Caravan. 14. Connor suggests Scott should focus on Caravan while Carr can pressure the smaller freshman Mullins. 15. He compares that kind of matchup specialization to Matt McQuaid’s defensive role on earlier Michigan State teams. 16. Jeremy Fears’ workload becomes another concern, with 35-minute games, nine turnovers in two tournament games, and an extra rest day after Louisville. 17. Connor says Fears spent the recovery day with trainers and did not go on the floor. 18. The episode also returns to Michigan State’s 2019 Duke game in Washington, D.C., which Connor calls the best experience and a game he still thinks about often. 19. Fans who follow Michigan State basketball, Izzo, and March tournament matchups will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting general college hoops coverage without Spartan history may skip it.

As heard by us

A Michigan State preview focused on the toughest defensive assignment.

Michigan State gets a postgame-plus-preview look that stays centered on the game and the questions that still matter. Matt Sheehan and Connor George move from a good weekend into a practical read on what comes next, with attention on the toughest defensive assignment and the…

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