Michigan State basketball: 3-point shooting on a historic pace, and not the good kind

This pace would make this the worst 3-point shorting team ever coached by Tom Izzo. To date, the worst 3-point shooting team under Izzo has been the 1996-1997 roster that shot 32 percent.

While the sky isn’t falling quite yet in East Lansing, this is a struggle most fans didn’t see coming. The team returns guard Jaden Akins who shot 40 percent from three in back-to-back seasons. Akins is currently shooting 29 percent from deep. The team is also led by the All-Big Ten guard Tyson Walker who shot 41.5% from deep last year. He’s now currently firing at 29.6%.

Last year, Joey Hauser shot an impressive 46.1% from three. Entering this season, it’s possible many overlooked the impact losing him would have on this roster. Last year, defenses had to account for Houser hanging out on the wing and this, in turn, created open shots for other shooters. Guys like Walker and Akin were able to shoot at such a high rate because many of their looks were open due to Houser’s draw on the defense.

This year‘s team requires the guards to create more off the dribble. Luckily for Michigan State, they have the guards necessary to do this.

The Spartans are set to begin conference play on Tuesday night, Dec. 5, against Wisconsin. With most of the schedule still in front of the Spartans, it’s likely this percentage goes up. It’s still worth noting though, for a guard-dominant team, this may not be as great of a deep-shooting sqaud as expectations suggested entering the year.