EAST LANSING, Mich. — Sixth-year center Oumar Ballo stood at midcourt with a finger to his lips, quieting the same crowd that was roaring moments earlier. For the first time since Jan. 17, Indiana men’s basketball won a game — this time, against No. 11 Michigan State on Tuesday inside the Breslin Center.
The Hoosiers’ 71-67 victory is their first over a ranked opponent since Feb. 25, 2023, when they defeated then-No. 5 Purdue.
Indiana’s big men dominated the stat sheet. Despite scoring just 3 points on 1 for 8 shooting in the first half, junior forward Malik Reneau finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Ballo added 14 points and 10 rebounds of his own.
Both the Hoosiers and Spartans are among the worst 3-point shooting teams in the Big Ten and it showed throughout the first half. The two sides opened the game a combined 1 for 15 from beyond the arc. Still, physical play on the glass and inside the paint gave Michigan State an early 20-8 lead, forcing Woodson to make a defensive adjustment.
After initially coming out in its standard man-to-man coverage, Indiana switched to a zone defense midway through the first half. The Hoosiers outscored the Spartans 24-9 after the change and took a 32-29 lead into halftime as a result.
Indiana opened the second half with a 6-0 run, which grew its advantage to 9 points. Michigan State’s offense eventually regained its earlier footing, slowly chipping away at the Hoosiers’ lead. With just over five minutes remaining, Indiana led 52-50.
Once more, the Hoosiers’ lead nearly grew to double digits as they jumped to a 61-52 advantage with just over three minutes left, sending some eager Spartans fans toward the Breslin Center’s exits. Again, Michigan State rallied back, cutting its deficit to 2 with 23 seconds remaining.
Reneau missed a late free throw, giving the Spartans the ball down by one possession, but Woodson’s decision to send them to the free throw line with Indiana up 3 points proved effective. With four seconds remaining, fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal sank a pair of free throws to seal the Hoosiers’ win.
Indiana will look to build off its newfound momentum when it returns home to face UCLA at 8 p.m. Friday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
