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PREVIEW: No. 6 MSU looks to avenge earlier loss to Hoosiers

March 1, 2019
<p>Coach Tom Izzo talks to Senior guard Matt McQuaid (20) during a timeout. The Spartans beat the Wolverines, 77-70, Feb. 24, 2019 at the Crisler Center.</p>

Coach Tom Izzo talks to Senior guard Matt McQuaid (20) during a timeout. The Spartans beat the Wolverines, 77-70, Feb. 24, 2019 at the Crisler Center.

Who: No. 6 Michigan State (23-5, 14-3 Big Ten) at Indiana (14-14, 5-12).

When: Saturday at noon.

Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana

TV: FOX

Radio: Spartan Sports Network; 94.9 WMMQ-FM (Lansing).

Line: TBD


Spartans coach Tom Izzo isn't worried about taking revenge against the Hoosiers on Saturday. 

He's worried about rebounding and doing things the right way because if his team does just that, the win will come. 

Indiana stunned MSU with a 79-75 overtime thriller at the Breslin Center on Feb. 2, the exclamation point on the Spartans' season-long, three-game losing streak. Standout freshman Romeo Langford led the Hoosiers with 19 points, including a dagger 3-pointer at the beginning of overtime, which set the tone for the rest of the period.

Of the downfalls that continued the Spartans' funk, they shot an uncharacteristic 8-for-22 (36.4 percent) from the free-throw line and Indiana out-rebounded the Spartans 48-40 for the game. The Hoosiers also went 10-for-20 from 3, well above their 30.8 percent season average.

"We have a way of bringing out the best in people," Izzo said. "But we can’t give up 10 threes ... (and) I’m not worried about us missing free throws. I’m worried about us giving up 20 offensive rebounds.”

Since IU's upset, the Hoosiers have lost five of the last six games, winning only Tuesday's matchup with No. 19 Wisconsin in double overtime, 75-73 — while the Spartans have gone 5-1.

However, four of IU's recent losses were by six points or less. And though fortune hasn't favored the Hoosiers as of late, forward Kenny Goins said Assembly Hall is one of the hardest, most hostile places, the Spartans can play.

Especially after upsetting the Badgers.

"I feel like our game was kind of the game where they flipped the switch and started playing a lot better this season," Goins said. "They have a lot of guys back from injury or whatever, and they’ve been rolling with the punches. Even their losses have been really close."

The Hoosiers have returned everyone from injury but forward Jerome Hunter, who's been out since November with a leg injury. Forward Nick Ward (hand) remains doubtful and shooting guard Matt McQuaid is day-to-day after suffering a sprained ankle in practice this week.

Langford is still IU's leading scorer, averaging 17.1 per game. Juwan Morgan averages 8.3 rebounds, while MSU guard Cassius Winston leads the team in scoring (19.2) and assists (7.4) and Goins averages 9.1 boards.

Over MSU's last seven games at Assembly Hall, dating back to the 2009-10 season, the team is 4-3, most recently a 63-60 win last year.

Winston said he knows winning there won't be easy by any stretch, and he predicts Saturday to be a close game.

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"They play harder. They’re not shooting well from the field, they’re not shooting well from three, but they make the game ugly. They get on the offensive glass; they do things like that to make the game really messy and play really hard," Winston said. "And that’s keeping them in games and winning some too."


Predictions:

Casey Harrison: No. 6 MSU 72, IU 68

Chase Michaelson:  No. 6 MSU 74, IU 61

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