The expressions on the faces of Archie Miller and his players following Tuesday’s home win against No. 19 Wisconsin told a story of relief.
After losing 12 of 13 games — many in down-to-the-wire fashions similar to the meeting with the Badgers — the Hoosiers prevailed in a double-overtime thriller that may have resurrected their postseason hopes.
But any conversation putting IU back in the NCAA Tournament begins, and likely ends, with Saturday afternoon’s home game against No. 6 Michigan State. The Hoosiers already beat the Spartans for a significant, if very surprising, win in East Lansing, Michigan, earlier this season, but to offset the gravity of the losses that occurred before and after that game, IU’s postseason résumé needs another quality win.
Before IU and Michigan State tip-off at 12 p.m. Saturday, here’s three things to know.
1. The two teams have gone in opposite directions since their meeting in East Lansing.
At the time, IU’s win at Michigan State was thought of as a potential springboard to get IU's season back on track. IU entered that game having lost seven straight, including humbling road defeats at Northwestern and Rutgers, but the MSU win was viewed as a possible turning point.
It hasn't quite worked out that way.
Aside from Tuesday’s win, IU has lost all five of its other games following the Michigan State contest. This leaves the Hoosiers with a still-dismal 5-12 conference record, and playing in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament remains a likely outcome.
Meanwhile, Michigan State suffered an upset loss at Illinois after the IU game, but has since rattled off five straight wins.
Notable among them is a Feb. 12 road win at then-No. 20 Wisconsin and last Sunday’s road win at then-No. 7 Michigan.
The Spartans remain in a cluster atop the Big Ten standings with Purdue and Michigan as the regular season nears its conclusion.
2. Junior guard Cassius Winston has continued his campaign to be this season’s Big Ten Player of the Year.
Along with Purdue junior guard Carsen Edwards and Wisconsin senior forward Ethan Happ, Michigan State junior guard Cassius Winston is in contention to be named the Big Ten Player of the Year.
Winston leads the Spartans with an average of 19.2 points per game, 7.4 assists per game and 1.1 steals per game. Furthermore, he’s one of the more reliable regular players on the roster in terms of free-throw shooting at 83 percent and 3-point shooting at 42.6 percent.
Simply put, there isn’t a lot Winston does wrong on the court.
And because Winston leads MSU with more than 33 minutes played per game, his talents will likely be on display for long periods Saturday afternoon.
Earlier this season, Winston played 44 of the possible 45 minutes in the overtime loss to IU, and to the Hoosiers’ credit, they defended him relatively well. Winston missed 13 of his 22 shots, but did make four 3-pointers and collected a season-best eight rebounds.
3. IU avoids having to play against MSU junior forward Nick Ward.
After surviving the Ethan Happ experience, IU’s forwards will get a slight respite Saturday afternoon by not having to face Michigan State junior forward Nick Ward.
Ward has been a consistent scorer and rebounder throughout his MSU career, never averaging less than 6.5 rebounds or 12.4 points per game. This season marked Ward’s best scoring output for the Spartans, as he averages a shade over 15 points per contest thanks to making 60 percent of his shot attempts and an improved 65 percent of his free throws.
But, Ward is expected to be out injured until the start of the NCAA Tournament with a hairline fracture in his left hand, his shooting hand, suffered during a game Feb. 17 against Ohio State.
This means the Spartans’ second-leading scorer will be unavailable for Saturday’s game. In the first meeting between IU and MSU, Ward’s poor free-throw shooting significantly contributed to the game’s outcome, as he missed eight of his nine free-throw attempts.
Michigan State still has senior forward Kenny Goins, who has led the team in rebounds during the last four games, the last three of which featured double-digit rebounds from the Michigan native.
IU and Michigan State are scheduled to play at 12 p.m. Saturday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The game will be broadcast on Fox.
