First Thoughts: Michigan State 71, Indiana 66
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Editor
Let’s take a quick look at how the Indiana Hoosiers fell to the Michigan State Spartans 71-66 on Tuesday night at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center.
WHY IT HAPPENED: Gary Harris owns the Hoosiers, and he finished with 24 points and five steals to lead No. 3 Michigan State (18-1) to a season sweep of Indiana. Harris often struggled to touch the ball in the first half as the Hoosiers focused on denying him touches. The shooting guard broke loose from the perimeter and accounted for 20 of the Spartans’ 44 points after halftime. Indiana (12-7) played much better than it did on Saturday, well enough to win, in fact. Noah Vonleh had 13 points and 13 rebounds, his eighth double-double, while Yogi Ferrell overcame a rough start to score 19 points. Troy Williams added nine points and six rebounds, with Jeremy Hollowell returning from a three-game benching to score eight off the bench. But the Hoosiers committed 18 turnovers, and the game slipped away from them.
WHAT WE LEARNED: Indiana shot decently at 44 percent but took such poor care of the ball that the loss left fans with a sour taste, in spite of all the Hoosiers accomplished. Will Sheehey missed the game because of an ankle injury and Austin Etherington started in his place at power forward. That seemed the card to play, but Etherington struggled. He was pushed around underneath, barely rebounded and was prone to turnovers. As a ballhandler and decision-maker, Etherington was probably Indiana’s worst guy, and that’s saying something on a night hardly anybody could put it on the deck without screwing up. Indiana attacked all night and drew fouls with strong drives to the rim, but the Hoosiers displayed a poor handle, compounding that by throwing away passes and not seeing the floor well. Michigan State was without star center Adreian Payne, so Sheehey’s injury is no excuse, but the supporting cast around Vonleh and Ferrell is clearly unreliable. That includes Evan Gordon, who was a no-show. The Hoosiers missed a great opportunity to win back some of the respect they lost on Saturday against Northwestern, but the game proved they can compete with the Big Ten’s best teams even on the road.
KEY NUMBER: Michigan State shot 23 for 51 (45.1 percent) from the field.
TURNING POINT: Up 46-41 when Williams used his length and long stride to finish a transition lay-in, Indiana lost its edge when Tom Izzo called time out. Over the next six minutes, the Spartans pulled away with a 17-4 run, with the Hoosiers shooting 1-of-7 from the field and committing four fouls over that backbreaking stretch, which included serious lapses at both ends of the floor.
GOOD: Indiana shot 22 for 26 (84.6 percent) from the free throw line.
NOT-SO-GOOD: Michigan State racked up 22 fast-break points.
NEXT: The Hoosiers take on Rayvonte Rice and Illinois on Sunday afternoon.
Follow Chris Goff on Twitter: chrisgoff_ISL.
