Hoosiers Keep on Rolling, Thump Michigan State 82-69 Inside and Out

Michigan State couldn't figure out a way to guard Indiana on Sunday, and it led to another convincing victory for the Hoosiers, this time 82-69 for their third straight win. Trayce Jackson-Davis had 31 points and 15 rebounds, and Tamar Bates and Trey Galloway each added 17. It's their longest Big Ten winning streak in four years.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — One of the key points in the pregame preparation for Indiana's game with Michigan State on Saturday centered around other guys stepping up in case the Spartans' tried to stop Trayce Jackson-Davis with double-teams and dives.

Can we have both?

Jackson-Davis got plenty of doubles, but he went off for 31 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots anyway. And when he needed help, he got plenty of it from guard Tamar Bates and Trey Galloway. Both scored 17 points and were red-hot from deep in the Hoosiers' 82-69 win over the Spartans. Indiana is now 4-4 in the Big Ten and 13-6 overall. It was their third straight Big Ten win, something they haven't done since Feb. 26 to March 10 of 2019. 

That was so long ago.

It was Jackson-Davis' second-straight 30-point game and the Hoosiers have beaten No. 18 Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan State by an average of 15 points. He also tied Jeffrey Newton for the most blocks in Indiana history. 

The Hoosiers are playing, dare we say, like the team we all thought they would be. Jackson-Davis has been playing like an All-American, and when guys like Bates and Galloway step up and make shots, the Hoosiers are very good. 

"It just opens the floor early,'' Jackson-Davis said when asked about Bates and Galloway knocking down shots. "I missed a few bunnies early and they were sitting on me, but we were moving the ball around and they were hitting shots.

"In the second half, we spaced the floor and it allowed me to go one-on-one. I feel like there's not a person in the country that can honestly guard me. So it is what it is when we hit shots, and everything is clicking. We're a great team and we're tough to beat.''

The Hoosiers struggled a bit out of the gate, with Jackson-Davis ''missing a bunch of chippies,'' as Woodson would say, and falling behind by nine three different times in the first half, with the latest coming at the 7:43 mark down 25-16. But then the Hoosiers went nuts, going on a 21-4 run to take a 37-29 lead. They went to the break up 37-32.

The Hoosiers had to deal with a lot of foul trouble at the power forward spot, with starter Jordan Geromino and freshman Malik Reneau both fouling out. It helped a lot that senior Race Thompson was back from a knee injury suffered on Jan. 4 at Iowa. He played three minutes in the first half, and came back for a short period late in the game.

Reneau had six points and five rebounds, and was on the floor for most of Indiana's runs. He played 21 minutes and a 19 plus-minus rating. It was a total team effort for sure, even with Jackson-Davis, Bates and Galloway scoring 65 of the Hoosiers' 82 points.

"This team was put together from last season for that reason alone, where everybody had to play a role,'' Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. "You know, we've had our ups and downs in terms of guys stepping up, but these last three games, man, everybody that's played, has played a major, major role in us winning.

"And it's not just Trayce. Trayce is kind of the guy that's driving the car, but the supporting cast has really pitched in and done their jobs as well.''

Michigan State went on a 12-3 run early in the second half to take the lead at 44-42, but Galloway answered with a three to push Indiana back in front. He was 3-for-3 from deep on the day. The Spartans got back ahead, but then Bates hit a three to put Indiana back ahead 52-51, starting a 10-0 run. Bates was 5-for-6 from three and the Hoosiers finished the day 9-for-15 from deep.

Michigan State got no closer than seven the rest of the way, unable to figure out the best way to deal with Jackson-Davis, who made great decisions all day. When the doubles came, he found shooters. And when Izzo chose to roll the dice with single coverage, he made them pay. He played all 20 minutes in the second half, and scored 18 in the period, including four dunks, two on great lobs from freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.

The Hoosiers, who were in 13th place in the Big Ten before the winning streak, are now back to .500 in the league and are in a five-way tie for sixth place. They play last-place Minnesota on Wednesday, get 12th place Ohio State in Bloomington on Saturday night and then play at Maryland on Jan. 31. They'll likely be favored in all three games.

"I think we have finally gotten acclimated to the new unit that we had in,'' Jackson-Davis said. "We're just playing for each other, and that's the biggest thing for us. Like I said about (Geronimo), he didn't have a great game today but Malik came in and stepped up. That's what we've got to do. Guys are starting to step up. And Race came back, so that's good. We're going to try to get him in, and with (Xavier Johnson) hopefully coming back here soon, we've just got to keep rolling and guys have to keep stepping up.''

Woodson was proud of the way the Hoosiers have responded after losing three straight. He said it took time to adjust to playing without starters Thompson and Xavier Johnson.

But they kept on working, and never quit. They've adjusted to losing two starters, and have found a way to be great again. And yes, three straight double-digit wins is great playing.

"Guys, when you lose two starters, and I go back to the Iowa game, it's a shellshock to everybody,'' Woodson said. "And especially when now you've got to depend on Malik's and CJ (Gunn) and Jalen, who has never played at this level a long period of time. And that's where we were.

"I'm not using it as an excuse. Those guys, mentally, we were smacked in the face. When we started to go into the tailspin, the only way to get out of a tailspin — and I've always believed this as a coach — you've got to work your way out of it. So practice became even harder, and I became more demanding. I wanted more. We needed more, and we responded in the Wisconsin game and it's been a nice carryover to Illinois and now today. That's kind of where we are.''

That's a pretty good place.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• WHAT WOODSON SAID: Indiana won its third straight game by double digits on Sunday, beating Michigan State 82-69. Coach Mike Woodson was thrilled with the win, which he called a total team effort. Here is the full video of his postgame press conference, plus the transcript. CLICK HERE
• FAMILY DAY FOR BATES: It was a big day for the Bates family, with sophomore guard Tamar scoring 17 points and his daughter Leilani winning the halftime baby race. CLICK HERE
• PHOTO GALLERY: Here are 25 pictures from Indiana's win over Michigan State on Sunday. It's a terrific collection of images for you to enjoy. CLICK HERE
• WATCH MILLER KOPP DUNK: Indiana forward Miller Kopp beat the Michigan State defense to the basket for an easy dunk, leading to roars from the Assembly Hall crowd. Watch the highlight. CLICK HERE
• WATCH TREY GALLOWAY'S 3-POINTER: Indiana junior guard Trey Galloway had the hot hand early on, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers to give the Hoosiers the lead. CLICK HERE
• WATCH JACKSON-DAVIS DUNK ON HAUSER: Indiana star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis caught a pass in transition and dunked all over Michigan State's Joey Hauser. CLICK HERE
• LIVE BLOG: Relive all the play-by-play from the game in Tom Brew's live blog straight from press row. CLICK HERE
• THOMPSON RETURNS AGAINST MICHIGAN STATE: Indiana sixth-year forward Race Thompson has been out since suffering a knee injury on Jan. 5 at Iowa, but he returned to action on Sunday against Michigan State. CLICK HERE