Michigan State senior guard Jaden Akins (3) heads down the court during the second half of a hard-fought game against Indiana University at the Breslin Center on Feb. 11, 2025. The Hoosiers defeated the Spartans 71-67.
After 13 home wins, Michigan State University men’s basketball suffered its first loss at Breslin Center this season, falling 71-67 to Indiana on Tuesday night.
The Spartans (19-5, 10-3 Big Ten) trailed most of the night and couldn’t generate enough momentum to overtake Indiana (15-10, 6-8 Big Ten) in a game that went down to the wire.
The loss marked MSU’s third defeat in four games, following road losses to USC and UCLA. Here are the main takeaways from the MSU-Indiana match:
MSU relied too much on three-point shooting
For some reason, the Spartans shot from beyond the arc 23 times — and only converted four of those shots. Three-point shots have not been their strong suit, having only one game with more than 10-plus made three-pointers, and a season average of 28.8%. MSU shot with overconfidence and relied on its three-point shooting throughout the game.
Senior guard Jaden Akins hit two of MSU’s four made threes but went 2-for-9 overall. Both makes came early in each half but failed to spark sustained momentum.
Akins, a four-year Spartan and key leader, typically relies on mid-range shots and layups but took 60% of his attempts from three, where he shoots just 29% on the season.
The other two came from freshman guard Jase Richardson and sophomore forward Xavier Booker, who shot a combined 2-for-9 from beyond the arc.
With Richardson coming off of a 29-point performance against Oregon, including nine coming from three-point range, his lone three-pointer this game was his last attempt, having missed five in a row. Booker’s only points were from long-range in the eight minutes he played.
MSU’s struggles were consistent across both halves, going 2-for-12 from deep in the first and 2-for-11 in the second.
Indiana’s 2-3 zone forced MSU into perimeter passing instead of attacking the rim, limiting its usual production in the paint. Throughout the 40 minutes, MSU looked stagnant and discombobulated on offense and tended to shoot its three-pointers in a moment of desperation.
“When we run into (a zone), the shooters have got to make shots, and guys that make shots didn’t make shots,” Izzo said post-game. “We did not play well enough to win.”
Indiana’s Ballo and Reneau overpowered
Even though at the half MSU outrebounded the Hoosiers and only gave up three rebounds, Indiana’s Oumar Ballo was too much for MSU. He put up 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting, and grabbed seven rebounds, helping fuel Indiana’s offense to come back from an early deficit. Indiana relied on Ballo for virtually the entire game, until he fouled out with 24 seconds left; he and Malike Reneau were Indiana’s main producers.
The duo combined for 33 points on 14-for-27 shooting and grabbed 22 of Indiana’s 31 rebounds. Without them, the outcome likely would have been different. Ballo and Reneau knocked down crucial shots and often stopped MSU’s early onset momentum.
They drained the atmosphere from Breslin and held off the Spartans until the final buzzer. Neither of them hit a three-pointer, but instead put up huge points inside, often with no contest from MSU. Indiana accumulated 38 points in the paint, as opposed to MSU’s 32.
Foul trouble for MSU bigs cost game
Junior center Carson Cooper picked up his third foul just before halftime, forcing Izzo into “musical chairs” with his lineups. The Spartans had to make changes to normal lineups depending on who had more fouls, which affected their performance and general flow throughout the game.
Cooper eventually fouled out with just over five minutes left in the game, with the score at 54-50 in favor of Indiana. By the end of the game, junior and senior forwards Jaxon Kohler and Frankie Fidler picked up four fouls each and senior center Szymon Zapala picked up three.
Foul trouble among MSU’s bigs led to frequent Indiana free throws, disrupting the Spartans’ late-game momentum. Indiana finished with 20 made free throws, with 11 coming in the latter half. Before facing Indiana, Cooper had been dominant over a four-game stretch. In 16 minutes, he tallied seven points — five from free throws — and grabbed five rebounds, including three offensive boards.
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“We were in so much foul trouble that our bigs really couldn’t guard well,” Izzo said. “They pounded the ball inside. We didn’t adjust.”
Cooper’s exit further hurt MSU’s comeback bid, forcing adjustments with other bigs also in foul trouble.
MSU looks to bounce back Saturday, Feb. 15, when it faces Illinois on the road at 8 p.m. on FOX.
