Coming from the Missouri Valley Conference, it’s likely a lot of Spartan fans underestimated the offensive powerhouse Indiana State has been so far this season. The Sycamores were 11-1 and in the top five teams in the nation with a three-point percentage.

Head coach Tom Izzo is notorious for scheduling a gauntlet of non-conference games to start the season, but the games surrounding Christmas break are historically less intense. 

This unexpected challenge Michigan State took after the holiday break resulted in one of their strongest wins so far this season. But based on how they were playing in November, it was not likely a game the Spartans would have won.

A large part of Indiana State’s success prior to the game came from sophomore center Robbie Avila, but the Spartan's defense came in hot and shut Avila down.

Going into the matchup, Avila was averaging 16.5 points per game, but in Saturday afternoon’s matchup, he scored five points and logged four fouls. 

“That kid (Avila) is just like the center from Denver (Nikola Jokić),” Izzo said. “I mean, he's really, really good. We actually did a decent job, so I was pleased that we bounced back. I really was.”

Another bright side was Michigan State's upperclassmen offensive production.

Michigan State had four veteran players in double-digits on Saturday afternoon: graduate student guard Tyson Walker scored 22, graduate student forward Malik Hall with 18, senior guard A.J. Hoggard with 17 and junior guard Jaden Akins scored 13. On top of the high-scoring vets, senior center Mady Sissoko came up with 12 big rebounds for the green and white.

When all the upperclassmen are playing at the highest levels they are capable of, the Spartans are nearly unstoppable.

Michigan State held the lead for most of the first half, but Indiana State's junior guard Isaiah Swope and the Sycamore offense held a three-point groove a few minutes into the second half, pulling five points ahead of the Spartans. This has happened to this MSU team before, and the response — or the lack thereof — has cost some tight games. In a post game press conference, Izzo said he was pleased with the way the team responded. 

“We respond, we came back. We’re down again, came back,” Izzo said. “And I'll tell you, I thought our defense was pretty good at some of those shots too. The team was not easy to cover, and you've never seen them, and that's the problem when you never see a team. My staff did a hell of a job, and they deserve a lot of credit too. And the team does because there are different coverages; we had to change some coverages — that is not your normal team.”

Although the matchup against Indiana State was a battle, the Spartans came out on top and logged a win — one of their best of the season so far. The green and white played against various styled teams during their non-conference stretch and it seemed as though they have come out better. 

Michigan State will be heading back into Big Ten play against Penn State at 7 p.m. next Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, at the Breslin Center. The game will be streamed on Peacock.