Fully healthy after missing its point guard vs. Oregon on Saturday, MSU was perplexed by a 2-2-1 Indiana zone. The Spartans, one of the worst three-point shooting teams in Division I, shot just 4-for-23 (17%) from deep — nearly mirroring last week’s 5-for-22 effort in a two-point loss to UCLA.

"We haven’t run into much zone," Izzo said postgame. "When you run into it, your shooters got to make shots and guys that have made shots didn’t make shots."

MSU seemed in control early — not for long. Indiana warmed up and found its pulse toward the end of the first half and rode a single-digit lead for the remainder of the night.  

Izzo had a shot at history against the same team he defeated in his first Big Ten game in 1996. Rather than celebrating its Hall of Fame head coach Tuesday, fans shuffled to the exits after witnessing their team damage its positioning for a conference championship.  

Indiana pounded the ball inside to forward Malik Reneau down the stretch. The 6-foot-9 lefty took over the final minutes, scoring at will on post-ups and rolling to the basket to finish with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Reneau and center Oumar Ballo, who fouled out with 14 points, helped the Hoosiers regain control of the glass in the second half. 

MSU attempted five more shots than Indiana but shot just 38% (21-for-55). Senior guard Jaden Akins led with 14 points.

With a backloaded schedule in conference play, the Spartans missed a crucial opportunity Tuesday night to stay in control of the Big Ten title race with seven games remaining on their schedule, five of which come against ranked opponents. They sit a full game behind the Michigan Wolverines (11-2 Big Ten), who beat Purdue at home Tuesday night.  

"I told you four or five losses would win the league. I haven’t changed on that at all," Izzo said. "We put ourselves in a hole now because we didn’t do our job at home. You gotta win your home games and try to split on the road, and we did not play well enough to win."

MSU visits Illinois on Saturday before hosting No. 7 Purdue on Feb. 18 in a pivotal matchup.

The Spartans bested Illinois 80-78 at Breslin on Jan. 19. The Fighting Illini, who only received nine minutes from projected NBA lottery pick Kasparas Jakucionis due to foul trouble, are eager for a home upset of a Big Ten title contender. 

Tipoff against Illinois is set for 8 p.m. Saturday in Champaign, airing on FOX.

Hoosiers erase early woes, claim first half 

MSU, the more consistent team this season, looked the part early on.

Then, like many times over the past three months, a flurry of Spartan misses compounded into a team-wide cold streak. The Hoosiers closed the last five minutes of the first half on a 12-2 run, taking a 32-29 lead. 

The losers of five straight games and seven of their last eight before Tuesday, Indiana announced last Friday that head coach Mike Woodson won’t return next season. The Hoosiers came out dull Tuesday night, producing one lackluster offensive possession after another as MSU dominated the glass and jumped out to a 10-2 lead within three minutes of tip-off.

MSU lost its first two Big Ten games in Los Angeles against USC and UCLA. During this skid, MSU’s inability to shoot at a reliable clip from outside was evident, often spiraling into long stretches with limited production offensively. The Spartans missed their last seven shots of the first half, finishing the frame just 10-for-31 (32%) from the field. 

All three MSU bigs picked up at least two fouls in the first half, with Carson Cooper collecting three. Jaxon Kohler was called for his third just 48 seconds into the second half.

Down to the wire

MSU started the second half just as flat as it ended the first, and Indiana extended its halftime lead to nine points at 38-29. 

There was a growing sense of frustration inside the building. The Spartans slowly closed in on the Hoosiers’ lead, but not before turning the ball over six times in nine minutes. From there, MSU clawed within a single possession several times but never saw the lead. 

Reneau took over late, scoring five of Indiana’s six baskets as the Hoosiers built a 61-52 lead with 3:14 left. Whether in the post, pick-and-roll, or on the glass, he was unstoppable. He had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists in last season’s lone matchup against MSU.

The Spartans put themselves in a position to lose, failing to protect the paint and adjust when the Hoosiers smelled blood. They still came away with stops to climb back within one point, after which both teams played the foul game.

Indiana made the free throws it needed to, and Woodson wouldn’t give MSU a chance to get off a tying look from three.