Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Divisional Round
A pair of teams from the Big Ten do battle in search of a victory in the Hoosier State. The Michigan State Spartans are on the road as they travel to take on the Indiana Hoosiers Sunday afternoon. Michigan State comes in off a 70-57 home win over #23 Rutgers in their previous contest Thursday night, covering the line as a three-point favorite. Indiana rolled to an 80-65 road win over Illinois in their previous game Thursday night, winning outright as a 6.5-point underdog. In the all-time series between the teams, the Hoosiers own a 68-57 advantage but the Spartans have won the last three meetings. That includes a 76-61 home win in the most recent matchup on February 12, 2022.
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Michigan State snapped a two-game losing skid as they took down #23 Rutgers at home in their previous game. The Spartans improved to 13-6 overall and stand tied for second in the Big Ten with a 5-3 conference record. Against Rutgers, Michigan State trailed 14-5 five minutes into the game before regrouping. The Spartans took a 36-30 lead at the half and used a 7-0 run to extend their advantage after the Scarlet Knights had cut the deficit to 43-41 with 14:15 to play. That run gave Michigan State a 50-41 edge and they didn’t let Rutgers closer than five after that. The Spartans shot 47.3% from the floor, including 12 of 22 from three-point range, and held Rutgers to 34.4% shooting in the game. A.J. Hoggard led Michigan State with 16 points and seven rebounds in the win.
The Spartans enter this contest 225th in the nation in scoring offense with 69.7 points per game on the season. Mic higan State is 85th in the nation in rebounding (37.4 rebounds per game) and 55th in assists with 15.5 dimes per game. The Spartans are an above average team defensively as they are 66th in scoring defense by allowing 65 points per game on the year. Tyson Walker leads the team with 14.6 points plus 2.6 assists a night this season. Joey Hauser (13.4 points, 7.7 rebounds), A.J. Hoggard (12.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists) and Malik Hall (9.9 points) are solid secondary scoring options. Jaden Akins, Mady Sissoko, Pierre Brooks, Jaxon Kohler, Tre Holloman, Carson Cooper and Jason Whitens are key contributors for coach Tom Izzo. Michigan State shoots 44.8% from the field as a team this season. The Spartans knock down an average of 7.2 three-point field goals on the year while shooting 37.8% from beyond the arc. Michigan State is solid at the charity stripe as they shoot 75.8% from the free throw line on the year.
Hall (leg) was injured against Illinois on January 13 and is out indefinitely. Watch for updates on his status going forward.