Free-throws, lack of shooting plague Indiana in third consecutive loss

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All five of Indiana's suspended players from the Northwestern game on Tuesday night returned against No. 17 Michigan State on Saturday afternoon. Despite the replenished depth, four Hoosiers encountered foul trouble as the team committed 21 fouls.

"They had us in foul trouble early where I had to go to the bench early," Woodson said during the postgame press conference. "That kinda takes some of the pressure that we like to apply away because guys are scared to touch guys in fear they might get their third or fourth foul."

While head coach Mike Woodson was charged with a technical foul, yelled and disagreed with calls from the sideline, Michigan State took full advantage and made 25-of-28 free throws (89%). The Spartans scored almost a third of their points at the foul line, a key factor resulting in a 76-61 home win over the Hoosiers.

"I got to be a little bit more calmer," Woodson said while laughing. "This is the first time I've gotten a technical and I said I was gonna go the season without getting one. Sometimes things change."

Michigan State made 16-of-18 free throws in the first half, while IU took 10 attempts and only made four. The Hoosiers reached the foul line more often in the second half yet still had a lower percentage. IU made 12-of-17 free throws, and Michigan State shot 9-of-10.

IU finished the game shooting 16-of-27 (59%) at the foul line, a significantly lower ratio than its seasonal 68.3 free throw percentage. For Michigan State, it was an improvement from its seasonal numbers. The Spartans entered the game shooting 76% from the foul line and shot almost 90% on Saturday.

"We didn't make free throws," Woodson said. "If you just make your free throws, you're in the ballgame. They made their free throws, and we didn't; that was a big part of it."

Even if IU hypothetically made the same number of free throws, the Hoosiers would have lost 76-70. On top of the lack of free-throw shooting, IU shot 34% from the field and 24% from 3-point. The Hoosiers failed to score a field goal in nearly 12 minutes combined in the second half, making it more challenging to string together a cohesive scoring run to chip away at the deficit.

"I thought we started the second half; we came out ready to play," Woodson said. "Going on that 8-0 run to take the lead, and then we just couldn't sustain it."