Scouting key New Mexico metrics ahead of Sunday's matchup with Michigan State
Michigan State basketball is moving on to the round of 32 and they are gearing up to face off with the 10-seeded New Mexico Lobos on Sunday night. The Lobos enter the game 27-7, having a solid season that puts them in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
Michigan State is attempting to get into the sweet 16 for the first time since 2023, while New Mexico is attempting to make the second weekend for the first time since 1974.
The matchup between the two teams is an interesting one, and what pops out is that defense is going to be on full display. Both teams rank as top-20 adjusted defenses in the country.
Check out three key stats about New Mexico heading into the matchup with Michigan State:
Tempo
What jumps off the page right away, New Mexico is one of the fastest teams in the country. In adjusted tempo, New Mexico ranks at No. 6 in the nation, making them one of the fastest teams in the nation, pushing the ball and getting up and down the court on offense.
Similar to Bryant, Michigan State's transition defense will be something that the Spartans have to put the utmost focus on.
Turnovers
What helps New Mexico's tempo is the rate at which they turn teams over. New Mexico is one of the best teams in the nation at getting turnovers on defense. New Mexico ranks at No. 12 in the nation at turning their opposition over and play a very stifling defense.
It will be imperative that Jeremy Fears, Tre Holloman and Jase Richardson take care of the ball.
Rebounding
One angle of the game that the Spartans may have an angle to take an advantage, but New Mexico still does well, is rebounding. While New Mexico is not a great offensive rebounding team, ranking at No. 137 in the nation in offensive rebounding, they are significantly better at defensive rebounding.
New Mexico ranks No. 11 in the nation at defensive rebounding, which means one of MSU's strengths in offensive rebounding, is going to be a battle on Sunday evening.
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Scouting Michigan State basketball's matchup with New Mexico
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