Indiana is desperate for a victory. A trip to East Lansing, Mich., however, ranks as one of the toughest places to end a losing streak.
The Hoosiers, saddled with a five-game skid, will face No. 11 Michigan State on Tuesday night. On top of that, Spartans coach Tom Izzo can set the Big Ten record for most conference victories. His 353 Big Ten wins tie him with the late Bob Knight, Indiana’s longtime coach.
Indiana (14-10, 5-8 Big Ten) not only needs to get hot to snag an NCAA Tournament berth, it is in danger of failing to qualify for the 15-team conference tournament.
The Spartans’ archrival Michigan added to the Hoosiers’ misery Saturday by handing them a 70-67 setback on their home floor. Indiana erased an 18-point deficit but couldn’t finish off the rally with a win.
“Seven games (remaining on the schedule) is a lot of games, and we’re still trying to play to stay in the Big Ten tournament and then see where that takes us,” Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson said. “But we’ve got to start winning some games here soon to do that.”
Woodson and the school announced earlier in the week that he would not return as head coach next season. Woodson is trying to take a positive approach to get his team back on track.
“Emotionally, these kids have taken a beating a little bit,” he said. “And it’s my job to try to lift their spirits and keep ‘em heading in the right direction because there’s still a lot of basketball left.”
Mackenzie Mgbako recorded his first double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds against the Wolverines. Leading scorer and rebounder Oumar Ballo (13.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg) has been held to a combined 10 points and 10 rebounds in the last two games.
“We haven’t been the same team for a while,” Woodson said. “For whatever reason, we’ve dug a hole. I’ve done a terrible job in really putting them in the best position possible to win.”
Izzo tied the conference wins record Saturday when the Spartans made a spirited second-half comeback after trailing Oregon 50-36 at halftime. Michigan State (19-4, 10-2) roared back and pulled away to an 86-74 win. Freshman guard Jase Richardson erupted for 29 points, a season high by any Spartans player.
Michigan State, which is battling Purdue and Michigan for first place, had lost its previous two games.
“We have been priding ourselves on our defense, and we let up 50 in the first half,” center Carson Cooper said. “That’s a tough shot to us in the heart in the first half. But we also knew that we can’t drop any more games, especially where we are at in the standings, and how other teams are doing. So for us, it was a must-win.”
It was a special win for Izzo and the program.
“I am proud of the record in two ways,” Izzo said. “I’m proud of it because I get to be talked about with a guy that I really thought highly of as a coach. Number two, I get to appreciate how many players won games for me in different ways because I didn’t win one damn game. It’s amazing.”
–Field Level Media
