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Tom Izzo knows Michigan State basketball has work to do on defense

EAST LANSING — Tom Izzo is not a huge fan of analytics to judge performance.

So don’t tell him Michigan State is plus-19 in two games this season. All he sees are the 193 points the 11th-ranked Spartans have given up so far.

Just ask Kenny Goins, who drew a face full of Izzo’s wrath for a missed assignment early in Sunday night’s game against Florida Gulf Coast.

“We’re not helping each other,” fifth-year senior Goins said Monday. “And that’s what our defense is based on, having that help for your teammates.”

MSU hosts Louisiana Monroe on Wednesday night (7 p.