Emotional loss comes in overtime battle at Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Following a heartbreaking 84-83 overtime loss to No. 25 Michigan State on Sunday, IU senior guard Jeremiah Rivers was at a loss for words.

Standing on the same Breslin Center court he had just played on for 32 minutes, he struggled to explain just how hard the Hoosiers’ 13th straight road loss hit.

“It’s just ... I feel like throwing up right now,” Rivers said. “I don’t know what to tell you. We battled hard, everybody bought in and a rebound here, a stop here on defense ... that’s all I can tell you.”

Rivers, who scored a season-high 10 points, felt an extra burden because he missed a pair of free-throw attempts late in regulation that could have added cushion to three and two-point leads.

“I kind of gave two to them tonight,” Rivers said of the missed free throws. “They both felt great coming off my hand. I guess you just can’t get them all.”

IU coach Tom Crean said close losses like Sunday’s hurt more when his team had a strong belief it could win, which IU had until the final buzzer.

“When you’re in that locker room and the energy is where it is, and during the game you can feel it, it’s the ultimate,” Crean said. “The only thing that makes it better is when you get a win. And we did everything but today.”

It can also hurt more when players walk away battered and bruised.

Sophomore forward Christian Watford took two separate blows — one to his knee and another to his wrist — that forced him to be examined by team trainers.

But the Hoosiers’ leading scorer Sunday with 21 points scrapped to the very end. With the final seconds ticking, Watford dove for a loose ball and called timeout, an effort that prompted Crean to bear hug him to the bench.

Watford said the battling the entire team did and fighting through injuries is a microcosm of the team’s mindset as it bids for upsets.

“It shows that we’re a tough team,” he said. “We want to win, that’s the main thing. We believe, we want to win, and we’re going to give it our all every time."

After defeating No. 20 Illinois on Thursday, the Hoosiers had a chance Sunday to defeat consecutive ranked opponents for the first time since Feb. 2008. Now as they look to avoid starting a new losing streak, Crean said his players will have to bond and regroup quickly.

“We don’t have a lot in the tank in the sense of real confidence from winning numerous games,” he said. “We’re going to have to really get a lot out of one another. It’s not just ‘Hey, good game.’ These guys have to get deep with one another now to help now to help bring them back to really understand there’s a lot of season left.

“When you’ve got a lot of guys that have won and have success under their belts, bounce backs are a lot easier. They’re always hard, but they’re easier. And we don’t have that right now.”

IU does have experience, though, in playing close games. Sunday marked the seventh game this season decided by nine points or less. Six were IU losses, one of which came at the hands of its next opponent.

The Hoosiers dropped a 67-63 decision to then-No. 21 Minnesota on Jan. 4, a game they led by as much as nine points.

When the now-No.16 Golden Gophers visit Assembly Hall on Wednesday, Crean said he is counting on the crowd to help give IU another home celebration.

“I’m really hoping that when we get home it is packed to the gills again, just rocking like it was Thursday night and certainly like it was in here today,” Crean said. “That will help a lot with these guys.”