Indiana basketball is back out on the road on Tuesday night, as the Hoosiers get set for a 9:00 p.m. ET clash in East Lansing with No. 11 Michigan State.
The Hoosiers (14-10 overall, 5-8 in Big Ten play) have lost five consecutive games, including most recently falling to No. 24 Michigan by three points at home on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans (19-4 overall, 10-2 in Big Ten play) got a bounce back win on Saturday against Oregon after having losing two straight.
Before the midweek battle, preview the contest between Indiana and Michigan State.
HEAD COACH PROFILE
Head Coach: Tom Izzo
Record: 726-299 in 30th year overall, same at Michigan State
The winningest head coach in Michigan State history, Izzo is an eight-time National Coach of the Year and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame back in 2016.
Izzo has led the Spartans to eight Final Four appearances during his tenure with the Spartans—the most among any Big Ten coach.
Back in 2022, Izzo passed legendary Indiana head coach Bob Knight for the most overall wins all-time as a head coach at a Big Ten school. A win on Tuesday would see Izzo also pass Knight in all-time Big Ten wins.
THIS SEASON
Michigan State began the season playing a tough non-conference schedule, one the Spartans made it through without any bad losses.
Before opening Big Ten play in early December, Michigan State suffered a pair of losses, one to No. 17 Kansas and the other to No. 14 Memphis. The biggest win of non-conference play for the Spartans came at a neutral site in overtime against North Carolina.
After winning both conference games in the month of December, Michigan State got out to a 9-0 start to Big Ten play this year, including wins at Ohio State, Northwestern and at home against Illinois.
However, the Spartans hit a rough patch on their trip to the west coast. Michigan State lost its first Big Ten game of the season a little over a week ago at USC before following that up with a narrow lost to UCLA just a couple of days later. Those two losses out west came by a combined eight points.
Michigan State got back in the win column in its first game back from the west coast road trip, collecting a double-figure win over Oregon on Saturday.
On the year, Michigan State is averaging 79.8 points per game while shooting 46.9% from the field. The Spartans, despite sitting near the top of the Big Ten standings, are the league's worst 3-point shooting team, converting at a 29.3% rate from downtown. Michigan State averages 17.9 assists a contest to 12.2 turnovers a night.
On the defensive side of things, the Spartans are allowing their opponents to average 67.4 points per game. Michigan State's opponents have shot 39.6% from the floor and 29.5% from 3-point range this season.
In KenPom, Michigan State is ranked the No. 17 team in the country. They possess the nation's No. 26 offense and No. 11 defense. In the NET, the Spartans are ranked No. 19.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Guard Jaden Akins: The leader of the Spartans' balanced offensive attack is Akins. A 6-foot-4 senior guard, Akins is averaging a team-leading 13.4 points per game this season, while shooting 42.5% from the field and 29.8% from 3-point range. Akins is also averaging 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per night.
- Guard Jase Richardson: A true freshman out of Denver, Colorado, Richardson just played his best game of the season over the weekend against Oregon. The 6-foot-3 guard went off for 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor and 3-of-6 shooting from deep. After making his first 21 appearances of the season off the bench, Richardson got his first start of the year against Oregon. On the season, Richardson is Michigan State's second-leading scorer averaging 10.2 points per game on 53.9% from the field and 41.2% from distance.
- Guard Jeremy Fears Jr.: A 6-foot-2 redshirt freshman out of Joliet, Illinois, Fears is the point guard of Izzo's bunch. Fears is averaging just 7.7 points per game this season—which ranks tied for fifth on the team—but he's 6.2 assists a night. He's shooting 43.5% from the field this season and 42.1% (0.8 attempts per game) from 3-point range.
STORYLINES TO WATCH
Does Tom Izzo pass Bob Knight against the Hoosiers...
Izzo is currently tied with the legendary Indiana head coach in all-time Big Ten wins. If Izzo and the Spartans take down the Hoosiers on Tuesday night, that would mean Izzo becomes the all-time Big Ten leader in conference wins, passing Knight against the team he coached.
Can Indiana get back in the win column...
Indiana has lost five straight games and seven of its last eight. The Hoosiers are in desperate need of a win to try and keep any hope of making the NCAA Tournament alive. The Hoosiers may need a miracle to make the Big Dance, but that miracle may start with a road win against a top 10 opponent in Michigan State on Tuesday night.
QUICK HITTERS
Who: Indiana (14-10, 5-8) vs No. 11 Michigan State (19-4, 10-2)
Series History: Indiana leads all-time series 73-59 (Last Meeting: Indiana won 65-64 on Mar. 10, 2024 in Bloomington, Indiana.
When: Feb. 11, 2025 at 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: Breslin Center, East Lansing, Michigan
TV: Peacock: Paul Burmeister (play-by-play), Austin Rivers (analyst)
Radio: IU Radio Network: Don Fischer (Play-by-Play), Errek Suhr (Analyst), John Herrick
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