BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana takes down No. 11 Michigan State 67-63 and earns their fifth conference win of the season behind a final-moment block by Indiana freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis and a missed layup from MSU’s Xavier Tillman. The Hoosiers move one step closer to their first NCAA tournament bid in four seasons with another ranked win at home, this time against the Big Ten favorite. Indiana is currently 3-0 against ranked opponents in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers move to 15-4 overall and 5-3 in league play. Michigan State retains their status as the leader of the conference, which is now shared between them and Illinois. They move to 14-5 on the season and 6-2 in the conference.
With a locked and loaded Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, the Hoosiers could not have asked for a better start to the game. Archie Miller’s team blasted Michigan State with an early 18-4 run that energized a packed arena. The students, including those that waited hours before tip-off outside in January weather, stayed on their feet from the opening tip. Indiana also gave them a few reasons to remain standing.
Archie Miller’s team returned back to their early-season style of play. Instead of the barrage of three point shots that we witnessed in Indiana’s last game, the Hoosiers instead played the game almost exclusively in the paint.
Indiana scored 14 out of their first 24 points in the paint. The Hoosiers had relatively no problem feeding both Joey Brunk and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Michigan State elected to avoid double teaming, and instead play both Indiana bigs man-on-man. While Tillman is a tough post defender, the Spartans lacked a 2nd big man to consistently stop Indiana’s inside presence. The duo led Indiana’s scoring with 13 combined points in the first segment.
Race Thompson had a notable performance for the Hoosiers in the first half, which earned him extended minutes on the floor. Thompson seemed to be in all of the right places at the right time, impacting the game as soon as he checked in. Whether it be matching up against Michigan State’s frontcourt, out stretching for rebounds, and even a couple of nice offensive moves in transition, Thompson had one of his best stretches in an Indiana jersey.