BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After 30 regular season games preceding Sunday's contest have concluded, Indiana's Senior Day matchup with Michigan State is set to put a bow on what's been certainly an intriguing season of basketball – depending on the lens you're looking at it through.
For IU (17-13, 9-10), it arrives on the heels of a three-game winning streak that has consisted of the Hoosiers' best basketball this campaign. That's been a low bar to clear in a year so tumultuous, capable of defying previous convictions about where the program actually stands and how it goes forward. But, its done so, and for that it should be commended. This didn't appear to be a plausible outcome as quickly as two weeks ago.
Yet, the off-court storylines have been aplenty. Indiana lost its lone recruit in the incoming freshman class almost 24 hours on the dot after the Hoosiers announced head coach Mike Woodson would be returning for a fourth season. Rumors have continued to swirl about the future of the team beyond the Big Ten Tournament later this week, and the general noise around the program does not give off the perception of that of a team playing its best basketball of the year.
On the other end of the spectrum, visiting Michigan State (18-12, 10-9) hasn't had the season it likely envisioned either, all things considered. Expectations tabbed to the Spartans this season revolved around being a top team in the country, considered by many to be a viable candidate to end the drought of Big Ten teams cutting the nets at the end of the year. And while nothing is impossible in arriving to said scenario, the buildup to this point in the season means that such an outcome would be a surprise to most.
The Spartans' win over Northwestern on their own Senior Day came just three days prior to Sunday's tip between Indiana and Michigan State.
Now, the Hoosiers look to silence what's felt like a year's worth of outside speculation that's developed and multiplied in just days' time by clashing with Michigan State. If anything, there's certainly going to be some sort of buzz inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, which may be hosting its final basketball game of the athletic calendar depending on how the women's NCAA Tournament seeding shakes out.
Regardless, the final day of the regular season is here. Preview Indiana and Michigan State before the ball is tipped at 4:30 in Bloomington:
Opponent Profile
Head Coach: Tom Izzo
Career Record: 705-292
29 years as Michigan State's head coach
At 69 years of age, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer is a legend on the sidelines in East Lansing and otherwise.
He needs no introduction, but his accolades do it for him: a 2000 National Championship, 10 regular-season Big Ten Championships and six conference tournament titles, eight Final Fours, eight National Coach of the Year awards and 25 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. He's the first ever coach in men's basketball history to lead a team to 25 straight appearances at the NCAA level.
Point simply stated, he's one of the best coaches in America.
This Season
KenPom: 19 (IU 91)
NET Ranking: 23 (IU 94)
Bracketology: 9.24 avg. seed, included in 110/110 brackets considered by Bracket Matrix. (IU not considered)
Michigan State is anchored by its defense this season, which will come into the contest 11th in the country in adjusted efficiency. The Spartans will willingly turn games into slugfests – the 53-49 victory over the Wildcats on Wednesday night serving as a perfect example – by playing at the slowest tempo in the Big Ten, forcing turnovers and taking care of the ball themselves, and hoping the offense will put together enough of a performance that will suffice for victory.
Yet, for the talent the Spartans possess as a whole, the offense is largely pedestrian. It's a middle-of-the-pack group in terms of adjusted efficiency with alarming numbers throughout conference play that typically are more representative of a team in far worse standing than they are. Aside from holding onto the ball with more success than most of their league foes, Michigan State's shotmaking is pretty average this season, and the percentages represent that.
Here are the names to know when the Spartans roll into town:
And the best combinations of such names when on the floor together:
Questions that need answered...
- Who will go through Indiana's Senior Day festivities? It's the last such opportunity in a college uniform for Xavier Johnson and Anthony Walker, who may be sidelined with a leg injury suffered the last time out. Will Trey Galloway and/or Anthony Leal join them in receiving their flowers and proceeding through their ceremonies?
- What seed will Indiana earn in the Big Ten tournament? As of Wednesday night, after victory over Minnesota, the Hoosiers had a possible seed range spanning from the 5th-seed all the way down to the 11-seed. With how the games have panned out, IU's seed range now varies between the 6-seed and the 10-seed.
- What will the atmosphere surrounding the team be like? It's been one of the more chaotic periods a season could endure this week, and the Hoosiers have been persevering through it by doing the only thing they can do to control it on the court, which is win. Yet, will it be a mere footnote to what could be a hostile environment for both teams on Sunday?
- Does Mackenzie Mgbako's late-season push have enough merit to earn the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year award? His play has been a key catalyst to unlocking the stretch of play Indiana has gone on to close the regular season. If that continues, his extended body of work is starting to stack up against other competitors for the award in the conference. Once appearing to be out of the race completely, his growth across the season has been evident and welcomed as IU has continued to benefit from it.
Quick Hitters
Who?: Indiana (17-13, 9-10 in Big Ten play) vs. Michigan State (18-12, 10-9 in Big Ten play)
Series History: Indiana leads, 72-69. (Last Meeting: MSU 80, IU 65 on 2/21/23 in East Lansing)
When?: Sunday, March 10, 4:30 p.m. ET
Where?: Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
TV: CBS: Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Jim Spanarkel (color)
Radio: IU Radio Network, Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (analyst), John Herrick
Vegas: Michigan State -3.5, o/u 141.5
KenPom: Michigan State 72-68, 65% chance of an Indiana victory
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