At the 4:12 mark of the second half in Indiana’s loss to Michigan State, head coach Mike Woodson subbed in junior guard Anthony Leal for graduate forward Miller Kopp, who had just picked up his final foul of the game.
It was an unprecedented move, considering Leal had seen just 18 total minutes of action this season, and Indiana had a single-digit deficit at the time.
But Woodson had no other choice. It was a decision indicative of the struggles on the court, both mental and physical, that the Hoosiers faced and inflicted upon themselves all night.
No. 17 Indiana men’s basketball fell to Michigan State 80-65 Tuesday night, due in large part to a glaring lack of energy, effort and execution.
“We just got out-toughed,” junior guard Trey Galloway said. “We played pretty solid for the first couple minutes, but after that, (Michigan State) just took it to another gear.”
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In no player were fatigue and futile efforts personified more than in star senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis. Jackson-Davis had a season and career-high seven turnovers, shot 50% from the foul line and had an uncharacteristically passive performance around the rim on both ends of the floor.
After what has been a grueling conference stretch since the beginning of 2023, Jackson-Davis has carried Indiana’s load time and time again. After a comeback win at Michigan Feb. 11 and his fourth straight game playing over 39 minutes, Jackson-Davis had a seemingly inspirational message for the Hoosier faithful:
“Ain’t no time to be tired.”
But Tuesday night, Jackson-Davis' exhaustion got the best of him. And despite finishing with an exceptional 19-point, seven-rebound, five-assist stat line, his performance was a shell of his potential.
Jackson-Davis should, by no means, catch full blame for the loss. In fact, he and Kopp, junior guard Trey Galloway and freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino provided much-needed bursts of offense and energy at crucial times.
All five starters – graduate forward Race Thompson included – scored during a 12-3 Hoosier run to open the first half. Still, Kopp’s acrobatic 3-pointers, Galloway’s determined drives to the basket and Hood-Schifino's impressive shot-making fell just short of bringing Indiana back on top in the second half.
The hole Indiana dug itself into came when Kopp and Hood-Schifino got into early foul trouble. Woodson was forced to go to his bench – an entity that scored merely 6 of the Hoosiers’ 65 points – and inexperienced underclassmen made costly decisions that quickly piled up, amounting to a 6-point deficit at halftime.
“We’ve struggled on the road coming off the bench,” Woodson said. “We’ve got to figure that out as we continue this journey.”
Make no mistake though – Michigan State made life difficult on Indiana the entire game by way of its own successes, too, shooting a dazzling 47.6% from beyond the arc and sinking nearly 95% of its free throws.
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“Our connections defensively weren’t right,” Woodson said. “We were a step slow. ... These are things that we’ve been pretty clean on, and we weren’t clean tonight.”
The Spartans missed three more field goal attempts than the Hoosiers, yet they outrebounded the visitors by nine. Michigan State doubled Indiana’s offensive rebounding numbers and held Jackson-Davis to single digit boards for the first time since he went head-to-head with Purdue junior center Zach Edey Feb. 4.
Every loose ball, hustle play and aggressive effort swung in favor of the Spartans, whose hearts were undoubtedly in the game more than their opponents. And by the time Leal and the four freshmen occupied the five Hoosier positions on the court at the 2:29 mark, the game – from a mental and emotional standpoint – was all but sealed.
“When we get outrebounded like we did, 50-50 balls, second chances, that’s everybody,” Woodson said.
What had started out as a promising road effort concluded as a Michigan State masterclass in toughness, grit and perseverance. If Indiana has hopes of remaining near the top of the Big Ten, no test of regaining its willpower is bigger in magnitude than the one that lies directly ahead: No. 5 Purdue at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in West Lafayette, Indiana.
