Michigan State vs Indiana: 2018-19 College basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Michigan State and Indiana meet in an intriguing Big Ten match-up; can the Spartans get revenge and keep up in the Big Ten race of will the Hoosiers score another great win?
TV schedule: Tuesday, March 2, 12:00 pm ET. FOX
Arena: Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana
With impressive play recently under Tom Izzo, Michigan State (23-5) has survived and played extremely well while dealing with injuries. The Spartans sit at the top of the Big Ten, starting to win impressive games even without Joshua Langford and Nick Ward. They’ve won five straight games, including last Sunday’s wild win at Michigan, stunning their rivals on the road.
Cassius Winston (19.2 ppg, 7.5 apg) has really shined, pacing the Spartans in scoring and putting up 27 points against the Wolverines last weekend. He’s been elite as both a shooter and ball distributor. Senior guard Matt McQuaid (9.0 ppg) has been shooting better from long-range while senior forward Kenny Goins (7.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg) has been the go-to guy down low, spearheading the Spartan’s rebounding efforts.
The Spartans really struggled about a month ago, dropping games to Illinois and Indiana, but have really responded, even in spite of injuries. The team has bounced back up to 4th in KenPom, 5th in offensive efficiency and 8th in defensive efficiency. This is a better team with Langford and Ward, and they do struggle forcing turnovers. However, they’re one of the best shooting teams in the nation, especially if McQuaid can continue to shoot the ball well.
Across the court, things are not looking as bright for Indiana (14-14). These Hoosiers have dropped 12 of their last 14 games and haven’t won a game in regulation in nearly two months. They pulled off a real shocker when they beat these Spartans in East Lansing, but losses to teams like Nebraska, Rutgers, and Minnesota have sunk their season and their losses have piled up. They did just beat Wisconsin on Tuesday in double overtime, so perhaps there is some momentum in this team.
Freshman guard Romeo Langford (17.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg) is clearly the player to watch for the Hoosiers, and he is expected to be a lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft. His 19 points against the Spartans helped lead his team to the upset a month ago. The other Hoosier to watch is senior forward Juwan Morgan (14.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg), whose 15 rebounds helped the Hoosiers to their win over Wisconsin.
Despite their .500 record, the Hoosiers still find themselves ranked 49th in KenPom, a result of playing the nation’s 8th-toughest schedule. They ranked 26th in defensive efficiency, though the offense has certainly struggled at times. This is one of the nation’s worst teams at shooting 3-pointers, but they’ve been decent down low.
For the Spartans, they’ll need to keep getting big games from Winston. Revenge will clearly be a factor for Michigan State, but these Hoosiers aren’t going down without a fight. The Hoosiers will need Romeo Langford to have another solid night and they’ll need to shoot the ball a lot better than they have been.
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The Spartans have really shown something since the injuries to Jeremy Langford and Ward. They showed that they can win in hostile environments, and I expect more of the same in Bloomington. Expect another outstanding effort from Winston.