When No. 17 Indiana men’s basketball takes the floor against Michigan State on Tuesday, the battle for a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament will take a backseat.
Tuesday’s game against Michigan State may be the most emotional game of the season, because some games transcend sports.
The Spartans’ home game against the Hoosiers will be their first at the Breslin Center in East Lansing since the shooting that killed three students on Feb. 13. All campus events, including athletic competitions, were paused for the next 48 hours. Michigan State returned to the hardwood Saturday against Michigan in Ann Arbor.
“First and foremost, just thoughts and prayers out to them,” senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis said after Indiana’s game against Illinois on Saturday. “I think I speak for our whole team on that. I love (Michigan State head coach Tom) Izzo, and that place is going to be rocking. They're going to play with a lot of emotion, a lot of heart. We've got to be ready. But sometimes it's bigger than basketball.”
[RELATED: 3 people killed in shooting at Michigan State University]
After No. 2 Indiana women’s basketball defeated No. 12 Michigan 68-52 on Thursday, both Indiana head coach Teri Moren and Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico were asked about their thoughts on Michigan State.
Michigan’s players and staff wore warm-up shirts before the game with the Spartan logo surrounded by a green heart as a show of support for their neighbors to the north.
“What happened close to home was really crushing this week,” Barnes Arico said. “Being a coach and being a mom... it hits close to home. I can’t imagine what the Michigan State family is feeling right now.”
Barnes Arico’s comments revealed a look at how rivalries should be handled when things go beyond the court. So did the Michigan men’s team’s showing when the Spartans returned to the floor. The Wolverines lit up their arena in green light, Michigan fans cheered for their opponent during warmups and the Michigan band played Michigan State’s alma mater.
“We want to make sure that we are there to support them and be there for them in this terrible time,” Barnes Arico said. “And to really try to fight for chance and try to make a difference in the state of Michigan as well.”
When Indiana takes the floor against Michigan State, it will be an opportunity for things to return closer to normal for the school. As with its last game, basketball can provide a chance for Spartans to take their minds off the tragedy.
"We played the game to try to make many people back in East Lansing and around the world that are Michigan State alums escape for two hours," Izzo told ESPN on Saturday. "I thought for the most part we did our part."
Back on Jan. 22, Indiana downed Michigan State, 82-69 in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Jackson-Davis turned in one of his most dominant performances of the year, scoring 31 points and adding 15 boards and five blocks. He received assistance from two of his guards as well, with sophomore Tamar Bates and junior Trey Galloway each adding 17 points.
The result of the rematch will have implications on the tightly packed Big Ten standings, too. Indiana, currently alone in third place with a 10-6 conference record, has opened a substantial gap on ninth-place Michigan State. Four 9-7 teams are nipping at Indiana’s heels, and a Michigan State win would place the Spartans in the 9-7 group as well.
“Obviously we've just got to go, and it's business,” Jackson-Davis said. “But at the same time, it is what it is. We're going to play hard and they're going to play hard. If we get one, we get one, but we've got to go at them.”
Indiana and Michigan State will tip off at 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Breslin Center and will air on ESPN.
