A much needed win.
Indiana men’s basketball went on the road and stole a huge win from a Michigan State team seeking to make history tonight.
Whether it was the lineup adjustments (probably not), Mike Woodson protecting his former coach’s legacy, or some simple in-game adjustments, Indiana finally had what it took to get the best win of the season.
The win doesn’t save the season necessarily, but it should be a good confidence boost for guys like Myles Rice, Malik Reneau, and Oumar Ballo, all of whom played well after struggling during Indiana’s recent losing streak.
Here are three things we learned:
Lol. Lmao, even
Tom Izzo had a shot at becoming the all-time win’s leader in Big Ten history, entering the game in a tie with Bob Knight. His first Big Ten win came against Knight, so breaking the General’s record against his former team would have been fitting.
He had former players in the stands. His son was basically courtside. Michigan State was favored by double digits and Indiana had absolutely nothing going for it coming into tonight’s game.
It was a foregone conclusion that the Spartans would win.
Then Mike Woodson switched to a zone defense that neutralized Michigan State’s guard-oriented attack. Much like Kenny Payne, Izzo had no answer for Woodson’s zone and now has to wait until at least Saturday for another shot at the record.
Late Game Adjustments
Indiana has found itself in the position it is in right now because Woodson has either failed to plan or failed to get his players to execute his plans at the end of close games. We’ve seen botched inbounds plays, bad shooters taking crucial free throws, and a lack of defensive urgency at the worst times.
Tonight was different. Michigan State made a run at Indiana and cut the lead to two at one point and Woodson made the necessary adjustments.
Trey Galloway came off the floor for offensive possessions, allowing Mackenzie Mgbako to take the most important free throws of the game. Once Indiana got a three-point lead, Woodson made sure his guys fouled the ball handler, never allowing the Spartans to hit that big 3-pointer that would have tied it.
The result? An Indiana win. Mgbako hit his free throws, and Indiana held their lead until Michigan State eventually missed a free throw, which led to an Anthony Leal rebound and another two makes from the charity stripe to ice the game.
The Big Picture
This is Indiana’s best win and obviously helps their tournament resume. However, it still doesn’t guarantee them a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Seeing Ballo and Reneau play well without playing together too much was great, but some of that was due to foul trouble, which forced Woodson’s hand. Woodson also changed the starting lineup as an attempt to get out to a faster start and subsequently found himself trailing 10-2, only scoring when he brought Reneau off the bench.
Similarly, Indiana’s zone defense looked good and was a smart move to counter a team that was going to be able to get to the basket against Indiana’s bigger, slower lineups. Michigan State is also struggles from 3-point range, so it was a good team to bait into perimeter shots.
On the other hand, he also tried the zone against a Wisconsin team that shoots extremely well from deep.
Overall, tonight’s win did not prove to me that Woodson figured something out about how to win with this group. With every game on the schedule being meaningful at this point, he will have to prove himself night after night.