IU men’s basketball is in the midst of a three-game winning streak and on a roll with the Big Ten schedule now one-third complete. At 4-2, the Hoosiers find themselves in the top half of the conference standings, but tough opposition lies ahead.
Four of IU’s next six games are against teams with equal or better Big Ten records. First up in IU’s difficult stretch is a road game on Friday night at 7 p.m. against the No. 9 Michigan State Spartans, who are battle-tested and have a 16-3 overall record.
With IU still clinging to slim hopes of an NCAA Tournament bid, this road battle against a top-10 team provides the Hoosiers with a chance to pick up their biggest win of the season thus far. Here are five things to know about the Spartans.
The Spartans have dominated the Hoosiers in recent years
The Hoosiers haven’t won in East Lansing, Michigan, since 2013, but last January, IU snapped a five-game losing streak against Michigan State with an 82-75 win at home. Guard Robert Johnson, then a junior, scored 17 points in the victory.
Before that win, IU had lost its previous five matchups against Michigan State by more than 12 points per game. The Spartans, led by Tom Izzo, have been a dominant force more often than not in recent years. They have reached two Elite Eights in the past four seasons, and they have the talent to make another deep tournament run in 2018.
Youth in the starting lineup, experience off the bench
A host of talented freshmen and sophomores provide the bulk of Michigan State’s production, while juniors and seniors provide a veteran presence in backup roles.
The Spartans’ usual starting five includes four sophomores – Miles Bridges, Nick Ward, Cassius Winston and Joshua Langford – and freshman big man Jaren Jackson Jr. All five were top-100 recruits, and all five average more than 11.5 points per game.
Among the reserves, Michigan State has experience to lean on in junior Matt McQuaid (6.5 points per game) and seniors Gavin Schilling and Tum Tum Nairn.
Michigan State plays stifling defense
No one will score easily on the Spartans; that much is for certain. Michigan State leads the country in blocks thanks to Jackson’s 3.2 rejections per game. In addition, the Spartans have held opponents to just 35 percent shooting this season, the best mark in Division I.
With long and versatile defenders like Jackson, Ward and Bridges, the Spartans present matchup problems all over the floor. In the absence of sophomore forward De’Ron Davis, IU will need all of its remaining big men to step up. Making a few more 3-pointers than usual wouldn’t hurt the Hoosiers, either.
Sparty shares the basketball
As one of the best teams in college basketball, it’s not a surprise that Michigan State leads the country in multiple statistical categories. Another area the Spartans excel in is distributing the ball. They have the most assists in the NCAA, averaging more than 20 per game.
Winston is dropping 6.8 assists per game while nearly doubling his scoring output from last season. Nairn, a starter for most of his first three years before taking a back seat to Winston this season, is also contributing a career-high 3.8 assists per game.
The Spartans can get careless at times, having turned the ball over more often than the Hoosiers this season, but the sky-high assist totals make up for any sloppiness.
Recent performances could be cause for concern
Michigan State entered its game against Ohio State on Jan. 7 with a 3-0 Big Ten record and just one loss on the season. Now, just less than two weeks later, the Spartans find themselves in a bit of a slump. After losing to OSU and narrowly beating Rutgers at home, Michigan State lost a rivalry game against Michigan at home over the weekend.
