Hoosiers pulling positives from loss to Spartans on Tuesday

IU coach Tom Crean stopped mid-sentence when talking about Michigan State point guard Kalin Lucas’ level of competitiveness.

“There’s no question he’s a next-level player — All-American, the whole thing,” Crean said after taking a deep breath to start the declaration.

The Hoosiers can take solace in knowing they won’t face Lucas at 8 p.m. Saturday in Minneapolis. But for the first time in seven games, IU will be able to pull positives going into its next contest.

The 72-58 loss wouldn’t suggest it, but IU played Michigan State closely in the first half.

The Hoosiers were within five points up to the 3:56 mark in the first half before the Spartans began pulling away.

“We came out with a lot of energy today,” freshman guard Jordan Hulls said after the game. “They just had some more points off turnovers, but I thought our group played with a lot more energy than we have in the past couple games, which is good. We’re just going to build off that.”

IU lost in several aspects on the stat sheet, but came out with fire, a rebounding edge and the best free-throw line performance of its season.

The Hoosiers were 25-of-28 at the stripe, but they saw Michigan State make 17 more field goals.

That advantage was based largely on a 10-minute stint where IU failed to score. There was only a 32-28 scoring advantage for Michigan State in the second half.

Sophomore guard Verdell Jones said IU has to aspire to do more than just hang around in future games.

“We got to get stops,” he said. “When they get a lead on us, we can’t trade baskets.”
Michigan State shot nearly 60 percent in the game, as IU allowed 40 points in the paint. Junior guard Jeremiah Rivers wasn’t ready to concede a poor effort.

“What we can’t do is hang our head and say we didn’t play good defense,” Rivers said. “They hit some tough shots on us.”

In recent post-game press conferences, Crean and his players have struggled to find an optimistic tone.

Playing against some of the best competition in the country didn’t allow for IU’s best performances.

The Hoosiers reached the height of their season after an 81-78 overtime win against Minnesota, which provided momentum for IU’s only road win of the season at Penn State.

They have come up empty in their search for any victory since that contest.

IU endured tough losses against some of the country’s best teams. Bad starts against lesser teams, Purdue, Ohio State and Michigan State turned the Hoosiers’ season for the worse. 

Minnesota has fared about the same, going 2-5 in its past seven games, including its loss in Bloomington on Jan. 17.

“This completes a five-games-in-12-days stretch against four ranked teams,” Crean said. “And we’ll continue to learn from it, we’ll continue to work hard, and we’ll continue to help our guys get better.”