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Quick Hitters: Takeaways from IU's loss to Michigan State

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Indiana dropped its third straight game on Saturday with a 76-61 deflating loss to Michigan State on the road.

The Hoosiers drop to 16-8 (7-7) on the season and look at two more games in a row against ranked opponents. In total, IU has four more games against tournament teams to finish the season.

Indiana heads home after a two-game road week and looks to bounce back in a much-needed way against a ranked Wisconsin team -- the same team IU had a 22-point lead against in the first half the last time they played.

Here are the main takeaways from IU's loss to Michigan State.

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Free throw shooting: Indiana has struggled making free throws consistently throughout much of this season and in the first half, that was a struggle again. The Hoosiers were just 4-of-10 from the free throw line before halftime, compared to 16-of-18 for the Spartans. In the second half, it was a bit better going 12-of-17, but when you shoot 59.3 percent from the foul line in a game that had 45 combined fouls, you are going to struggle to keep up with a team that in turn shot 89.3 percent (25-of-28).

Jackson-Davis struggles... again: This is now the third straight game in which the Indiana big has struggled to play at a high and efficient level. On Saturday he scored 17 points but was jut 5-of-13 from the field. That makes him just 12-of-35 in the past three outings -- 34.3 percent. He also had just five rebounds and just one in the first half. Jackson-Davis has been good this year, but down the stretch in key games and moments, he has really struggled to show up.

Guard play resorts back to old ways: It was another brutal outing for the guards of Indiana that had been trying to turn a corner just a month ago. On Saturday, the combination of Xavier Johnson, Parker Stewart and Trey Galloway combined for just 12 points on 4-of-22 from the field, 2-of-9 from the free throw line and four turnovers. Outside of Tamar Bates, the backcourt was non-existent.

Shooting woes: Parker Stewart was just 1-of-9 from the field and Miller Kopp was just 1-of-3... and the storyline continues for Indiana and its poor shooting. As a team, IU shot just 33.9 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from the three point line. Indiana tried to go to a different lineup -- whether that was still somewhat reactionary for disciplinary reasons or to find more success from its starters -- but it didn't work. That duo of Stewart and Kopp have not had a game where both have made at least two 3s since January 13 against Iowa.

Tamar Bates steps up: After being part of the five suspended players on Tuesday, Bates responded in a big way. He tied his career-high for points with 13 and was 4-of-8 from the field in what was also a career-high 28 minutes off of the bench. Bates looked comfortable with the ball in his hands and did a good job attacking the defense. He hit just one three, but got to the line four times. Defensively, he showed good discipline and was able to get his hands in the passing lanes. He has now seen his two highest scoring outputs against Big Ten teams, and his top three against power five opponents.

What's next?: Indiana still has two more ranked opponents coming up in the next two games and has Purdue to end the season. That doesn't include a road game at Minnesota and then another game at home against a Rutgers team who is now one of the hottest teams in the country beating three ranked teams in a row. Indiana has to turn this around as it tries to avoid a four-game losing streak on Tuesday.

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