• What: Michigan State at Indiana
• When: Noon Sunday
• Where: Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
• TV/Radio: CBS/Spartan Sports Network radio, together with WJIM 1240-AM and WMMQ 94.9-FM; Sirius/XM Ch. 385 (MSU broadcast), 386 (Indiana broadcast)
• Records/Rankings: MSU is 13-6 general, 5-3 within the Big Ten and unranked. Indiana is 12-6 general, 3-4 within the Big Ten and unranked.
• Betting line: Indiana -3.5
• Kenpom projected rating: Indiana 72, MSU 68
• Coaches: MSU — Tom Izzo is 679-273 in his twenty eighth season as a head coach, all with the Spartans. Indiana — Mike Woodson is 33-20 in his second season as a collegiate head coach, each with the Hoosiers.
Series: Indiana leads 71-58 all-time. The Spartans gained the one assembly final season and each conferences the 12 months earlier than that.
Lineups
MSU
C (22) Mady Sissoko (6-9) 5.6
PF (10) Joey Hauser (6-9) 13.4
G (3) Jaden Akins (6-4) 8.2
G (2) Tyson Walker (6-1) 14.6
PG (11) AJ Hoggard (6-4) 12.7
Indiana
F (23) Trayce Jackson-Davis (6-9) 18.6
F (22) Jordan Geronimo (6-6) 6.0
F (12) Miller Kopp (6-7) 8.3
G (32) Trey Galloway (6-4) 7.0
G (1) Jalen Hood-Schifino (6-6) 13.2
• MSU replace: The Spartans are coming off a 70-57 house win over Rutgers on Thursday that stopped a two-game dropping streak earlier than it turned a factor. The victory over the Scarlet Knights is MSU’s finest win of the season by a methods, per Kenpom, which has Rutgers as a high 20 staff (No. 18). The Spartans’ subsequent finest wins are over No. 33 Kentucky and No. 39 Penn State. Their high opponents up to now, by way of Kenpom, are Alabama (4), Purdue (5), Gonzaga (14) and Illinois (27). Although eight convention video games, MSU is third within the Big Ten in 3-point capturing (.378) and second in 3-point protection (.295). The Spartans are additionally the third-best free-throw capturing staff in league play at near 76%.
MORE: Couch: Jaden Akins is starting to fulfill rising expectations – Izzo’s and his personal
• Indiana replace: The Hoosiers appear to have discovered themselves and carried out so in an enormous approach, bouncing again from three straight losses, and 6 defeats in 9 video games, with two emphatic wins. They rolled 63-45 at house in opposition to Wisconsin and, most impressively, 80-65 at Illinois on Thursday — a recreation during which Trayce Jackson-Davis poured in 35 factors on 15-of-19 capturing, and tallied 9 rebounds, 5 assists in three blocked pictures in opposition to an Illini protection that by no means appeared to regulate to his dominance. Just earlier than this two-game stretch, the Hoosiers had been thumped at Penn State and misplaced shut video games to Iowa and Northwestern. Indiana, like MSU, has needed to cope with accidents to 2 key gamers, dropping level guard Xavier Johnson to a foot damage in December and massive man and glue man Race Thompson to a knee sprain in early January. Indiana is hoping to have one or each of them again by someday in February.
• Inside the matchup: Perhaps what we noticed from Indiana these final two video games was a staff figuring issues out after some robust damage luck. The Hoosiers and Spartans are kindred spirits on that entrance this season. What was clear in Indiana’s win at Illinois Thursday is that persevering with to protect Jackson-Davis one-on-one, as soon as he will get snug, is a mistake. Jackson-Davis is without doubt one of the tougher matchups for many groups within the Big Ten. MSU, particularly minus Malik Hall, would not have a great defensive reply for him. Unlike with Purdue’s Zach Edey, I’d be shocked if the Spartans left Mady Sissoko and Carson Cooper alone to cope with Jackson-Davis. You’ll possible see the same strategy to what MSU did in defending Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson, mixing up double-teams and guards digging down with single-coverage, which saved Dickinson from ever understanding what he was going through on a given possession.
Indiana does have some shooters who can harm you in freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (44% from 3) — who could be the Big Ten’s freshman of the 12 months — and one-time Northwestern switch Miller Kopp (46%). Guard Tamar Bates off the bench can also be a succesful long-range shooter. Improved play from ahead Jordan Geronimo has helped of late, too. But groups which have overwhelmed Indiana have restricted Jackson-Davis or made him take lots of pictures for his factors. MSU must get off to a good begin general and hold him from getting in a groove.
• Prediction: Until a couple of week in the past, I did not like the place this Hoosiers staff was headed. They missed Thompson badly defensively and so they did not appear all that well-connected. I do not know what to assume after their final two video games, aside from Jackson-Davis is an issue for Indiana’s opponents proper now. MSU seems to be getting Indiana at Assembly Hall on the improper time.
• Make it: Indiana 70, MSU 65
MORE: Couch: 25 years in the past, MSU basketball gained the sport that ‘modified this system’ and set the course for all that adopted
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.