Indiana men’s basketball entered February riding a three-game win streak. The Hoosiers had rebounded from a four-game losing skid to turn their season around and seemingly set up an NCAA Tournament appearance in head coach Darian DeVries’ first season at the helm.
Momentum was then slowed with back-to-back blowout losses to then-No. 8 Illinois and then-No. 7 Purdue, but a crushing four-point loss to Northwestern — which sits 15th in the Big Ten standings — likely put the Hoosiers back where they’ve typically been in recent years: on the outside looking in.
The Cream and Crimson are ranked 39th in the NCAA’s NET Rankings and are projected to be the final team selected in the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology released Feb. 27, which would send them to Dayton, Ohio, for a play-in game.
Indiana (17-11, 8-9 Big Ten) has three games remaining on its regular season schedule. The Hoosiers will host Minnesota and travel to Ohio State. But first, they’re set to host No. 13 Michigan State (23-5, 13-4 Big Ten) on Sunday.
Last meeting
The Hoosiers took on the then-No. 12 Spartans on Jan. 13 inside the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State rode a 19-0 second-half run to a 21-point victory, handing Indiana its second loss of what became a four-game losing streak.
The contest remained within single digits for the first 30 minutes. Michigan State redshirt sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is known for his playmaking, averaging a nation-leading 9.1 assists. But his scoring ability proved difficult for the Hoosiers to stop early on. Fears scored 17 of the Spartans’ first 21 points, keeping the Cream and Crimson from building a substantial first-half lead.
Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson slammed a fast-break dunk to tie the game at 53 with 11:19 left to play, but Indiana didn’t score again for nearly seven minutes. The Spartans took advantage and pulled away, cruising to an 81-60 win.
Wilkerson led the Hoosiers with 19 points, but Fears tallied a game-high 23. Michigan State freshman forward Jordan Scott and sophomore guard Kur Teng each hit three 3-pointers, while senior forward Jaxon Kohler finished with 16 points.
The Spartans are third in the country in rebounding margin, outrebounding opponents by 12.2 boards per game. Against Indiana, Michigan State won the rebounding battle 37-19.
Since then
In the 46 days since their last matchup, Indiana has earned its only two Quadrant 1 victories, a rivalry win over then-No. 12 Purdue at home and a road win in a double overtime thriller against UCLA. However, the Hoosiers also picked up their only loss outside of Quad 1 — the loss to Northwestern.
Meanwhile, Michigan State has remained impressive, defeating two ranked opponents. The Spartans triumphed in overtime against No. 10 Illinois and are coming off a 2-point road win over No. 8 Purdue inside Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Seven Spartans scored eight or more points as they knocked off the Boilermakers. Michigan State only trails No. 3 Michigan in the Big Ten standings and is projected to be a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Wilkerson chases history
Lamar Wilkerson has spearheaded Indiana’s offense for much of the season. The 6-foot-6 guard began the year averaging 17.1 points per game through nonconference play. But since the start of the Big Ten schedule, he’s evolved into a true number one scoring option.
In Big Ten games, Wilkerson leads the conference with 23.6 points per game. He does so while making the second most 3-pointers per contest in the conference with 3.5 — only trailing Nebraska’s junior forward Pryce Sandfort.
Wilkerson has already entered the top 10 in Indiana program history with 401 points in conference matchups, and he passed former Hoosier guard Steve Alford to lead the program with 59 3-pointers in Big Ten games.
The Ashdown, Arkansas, native’s 15 20-point games are tied for fourth all-time for a single Hoosier season, and Wilkerson trails Alford’s single season 3-point record by 15 with three games to play in the regular season.
Wilkerson’s pursuit of program immortality will coincide with the Hoosiers’ hunt for redemption as Indiana takes on Michigan State at 3:45 p.m. Sunday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Coverage of the game will be available on CBS, with Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery and Tracy Wolfson on the call.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
