Junior guard James Blackmon Jr. had all the answers Saturday.
Fresh off hitting a game-winning shot to beat Penn State, Blackmon had his biggest scoring game of the season and matched his career high with 33 points.
His offensive explosion helped IU’s fast start before the Hoosiers ultimately had to hold off a late rally from Michigan State to defeat the Spartans, 82-75.
Blackmon started his scoring early in the game, and IU’s offense sizzled from the opening tip. Blackmon said he knew before the game began he would play well.
“Probably in warmups,” Blackmon said. “I felt like I got a good warmup in and then after my I hit my first shot.”
The sharpshooter opened the game six-for-six from the floor and hit the first four 3-pointers he attempted.
IU Coach Tom Crean said Blackmon’s offense flowed from his play on the defensive end.
“It started because of the defense,” Crean said. “They all had big assignments, and certainly he did. He did a really good job. He has a memory of two years ago how they came after him and picked on him on the defensive end and made it hard from to get the ball.”
Late in the first half, IU was able to expand its lead to 17 points behind 50-percent shooting from 3-point range.
Junior guard and teammate Robert Johnson said Blackmon’s ability to shoot from nearly anywhere changes how other teams defend him and opens up looks for his fellow Hoosiers.
“It makes it easier for all of us,” Johnson said. “When he’s hitting shots like that guys have to try to make a plan to stop that even more, and it just opens up that much more things for us.”
For the majority of the game, IU’s offense looked as crisp as it had been in victories against Kansas and North Carolina earlier in the season.
A big part of that offensive success was IU’s lack of turnovers. The Hoosiers only turned the ball over nine times against the Spartans.
“I think we did a good job of moving the ball, making the simple plays,” Johnson said. “Our offense got into a rhythm early, and I think it carried throughout the game.”
IU opened the second half as hot as it was in the first. The Hoosiers blitzed the Spartans out of the break and were able to get out to a 20-point lead.
However, Michigan State rallied and pulled to within just four points late in the game before freshman guard Devonte Green hit a layup to stabilize IU.
“I thought Devonte’s basket late was really important,” Crean said. “For a guy that’s playing late minutes in a situation like that might not have been doing that earlier.”
Unlike in Wednesday’s game against Penn State, IU didn’t need a game-winning shot to save itself after letting a second consecutive lead slip late.
“I think Wednesday really prepared us for a game like this,” Johnson said. “We pulled it out at the end Wednesday, but I mean there were some things we definitely needed to improve on, and I think today we did a much better job of weathering the storm and finishing the game.”
