Column: Indiana has lost its edge

The state of Indiana is steeped in basketball tradition.

Hoosiers eat, live and breathe basketball. The phrase “In 49 states, it’s just basketball ... but this is Indiana” is state dogma.

But the state of Michigan has been flat out better than Indiana.

The two Big Ten teams in Michigan have been much more successful than the two Big Ten teams in Indiana.

IU (12-6, 2-3) plays at No. 3 Michigan State (17-1, 6-0) today and will be traveling to the conference’s best basketball state.

Ever since IU made the Final Four in the 2002, it’s been tough sledding for the state of Indiana.

In the last 11 years, IU and Purdue have gone a combined 418-296 — a .585 winning percentage.

The Great Lakes State laughs at that.

Michigan and Michigan State have gone a combined 527-264, a .666 winning percentage.

In the same time span, Indiana schools have gone to four Sweet 16s, no Elite Eights and no Final Fours.

The two Michigan schools have gone to a combined eight Sweet 16s, five Elite Eights and four Final Fours.

There’s no question that for the past decade, Indiana hasn’t been the basketball state.

And this year is no different.

The Wolverines and Spartans have gone a combined 11-0 in the Big Ten this season.

Meanwhile, the Hoosiers and Boilermakers have gone a pedestrian 5-5 in conference play.

A microcosm of this migration of hoops power is the case of Michigan State guard Gary Harris.

Harris, last year’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year, is a Fishers, Ind., native who was named Indiana Mr. Basketball.

He spurned IU to go up north and play for Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo.

Now, every time Harris comes to Bloomington, he is met with a chorus of boos.

IU fans are upset simply because Harris didn’t come play for the cream and crimson.

But Harris seems to revel in the chance to play the Hoosiers.

When Michigan State beat IU on Jan. 4 in Bloomington, the sophomore guard went off.

Harris had 26 points, four rebounds, two assists and five steals.

He made five of 10 threes and the Hoosier defense simply had to answer for Harris.

I don’t expect to see anything different when IU steps onto the court at 7 p.m. today in the hostile Breslin Center on ESPN.

Especially with the Hoosiers in disarray.

They lost to a sub-.500 Northwestern team, and sophomore forward Jeremy Hollowell hasn’t played a minute the last three games.

Michigan State is No. 3 for a reason, and IU Coach Tom Crean acknowledged that after the 17-point thumping in Bloomington earlier this month.

“They’re too good,” Crean said after the loss. “And they showed that today.”

The Spartans are still too good, and IU will fall to below .500 in the Big Ten.

The true basketball state will prevail.

Prediction — Michigan State 79, IU 65

Evan Hoopfer is 5-4 in predictions this year.

— ehoopfer@indiana.edu