My Two Cents: Trayce Jackson-Davis Has Been Great, But Getting Help Matters Even More

Trayce Jackson-Davis has had a week for the ages, posting numbers decades in the making, but what makes Indiana even scarier is having others pick up their games, like Tamar Bates and Trey Galloway did on Sunday. Three straight wins looks good on them.

© Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — My Indiana-Michigan State pregame column — the one with all the good stuff in it, wink, wink — ended with a very simple statement.

''In other words, this is more about just Trayce Jackson-Davis today. Others absolutely have to step up, or there will be trouble.''

There was no trouble on Sunday, at least not at the end. Indiana looked great in closing out Michigan State, winning 82-69, their third-straight double-digit win. It was the first time they'd won three straight league games since the final few weeks of the 2019 season.

And the last time an Indiana team had won three straight Big Ten games by 13 points or more, like they've just done? You have to go way back for that.

Like a decade back. During the 2013 season, when the Hoosiers were No. 1 for a while with Cody Zeller, Victor Oladipo and the gang — and with Tom Crean as their coach — they won three straight by 13 or more from Feb. 10-16, beating No. 10 Ohio State (81-68), Nebraska (76-47) and Purdue (83-55).

I'm not about to start comparing the '23 Hoosiers with that 2013 group, but it's well worth point out just how rare three straight blowout-ish wins are in the Big Ten, that it's only happened once in a decade for an Indiana team.

They're really playing well. Trayce Jackson-Davis has been incredible, but he got plenty of help on Sunday from Trey Galloway and Tamar Bates. Both scored 17 points, with Galloway going 3-for-3 from deep and Bates 5-for-6.

When they started knocking down threes, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo had a problem. A big problem. Double-teaming Jackson-Davis wasn't working with the shot-makers doing their thing from the perimeter. And single coverage? All that did was allow Jackson-Davis to go off for 31 points.

"It just opens the floor early,'' Jackson-Davis said of the guys hitting threes. "I missed a few bunnies early and they were sitting, but we were moving the ball around and they were hitting shots. In the second half, they spaced the floor and 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.''

There's no question about that, and they've been proving it in dispatching Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan State in the past eight days. This was the Indiana team we thought we'd see from the beginning, the one we saw glimpses of in early big wins against Xavier and North Carolina

But then there was the loss at Rutgers, and beatdowns by Arizona and Kansas, and then the even uglier three-game losing streak to start the January portion of the Big Ten season in losses to Iowa, Northwestern and Penn State.

Losing two starters — point guard Xavier Johnson and power forward Race Thompson — to injuries had a lot to do with it, and Jackson-Davis and freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino have both been dealing with back injuries, too.

It took some getting used to, new guys in new roles, and it showed. And now it's finally working.

"I think we have finally gotten acclimated to the new unit that we had in. We're just playing for each other, and that's the biggest thing for us,'' Jackson-Davis said. "Like I said about (Jordan Geronimo), he didn't have a great game today but Malik (Reneau) came in and stepped up. That's what we've got to do. Guys are starting to step up. Race (Thompson) 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.''

Indiana coach Mike Woodson has talked often about how hard it was for everyone to go through that losing streak, but everyone kept working, and kept their heads up. 

"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,'' Woodson said. "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 job as well.''

Bates and Galloway needed to answer the bell when Johnson went down, but Bates has been quiet. He didn't score a single point against Wisconsin and Illinois, so it was nice to see him explode on Sunday. It's his fifth game of the season scoring 17 points or more now, but in the other 14 he's averaging only 6.3 points per game.

But the work still gets done, with the goal being ready for the big moments as they arise.

"It's literally what we do it for, all the work we put in as individuals and as a team up to this point,'' Bates said. "That's what you play college basketball for. We look forward to every game, but especially when we have a really good opponent coming in, everyone raises their level of play.''

There's no question that Jackson-Davis has done that. The past two games, he's scored 66 points, grabbed 24 rebounds, nine assists and eight blocks. He had his 40th career double-double on Sunday, and tied Jeffrey Newton for the most blocks all-time at Indiana.

It's greatness on display.

"I mean, it's a good question. It's pretty special,'' Galloway said when asked what we're seeing from Jackson-Davis lately. "Just the improvement that he's made from last year, just taking the pressure and handling it so well. Our backs were against the wall early in the Big Ten season and he stayed composed. I know he was hurting and he's battling through that, and now he's finally kind of healthy. It's showing. 

"I think him just sticking with it, and I think just him being a willing passer, too, that helps. They can't double him, they are not doubling as much. He's been able to create so many more options for himself or others. I think it's honestly just incredible just to watch him keep performing like this, and I'm glad he's on my team.''

Jackson-Davis has impressed Woodson, as well. 

"I think you're looking at a complete player, man,'' Woodson said. "For four years, he has done it at a high level. I mean, there aren't a lot of players that can say they have averaged 18, 19, 20 a game every year in college. You add his rebounding, his ability to block shots, his assists, his ability to handle the ball and pushing him to initiate the break, I mean, there's nothing the guy can't do on the basketball floor. He's making his free throws.

"I mean, he's a beautiful player to watch and he's done it all. I'm just glad he's on our ballclub, put it that way.''

Everyone is happy about that, for sure. There are three more games in January, on the road Wednesday at Minnesota, at home against Ohio State on Saturday night and back on the road at Maryland on Jan. 31. The Hoosiers are likely going to be favored in every game, so there's a good chance they can put a nice little run together.

What we've seen in these last three games is that they are very capable of winning three straight again. But we've also seen the bad side of this team, so they're really going to have to stay locked in and keep this going.

The last eight days have been a lot of fun. Now, let's keep it up. 

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• INDIANA BEATS MICHIGAN STATE (Game story): 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. CLICK HERE
• 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
• WHAT PLAYERS SAID: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Tamar Bates and Trey Galloway met with the media on Sunday after Indiana beat Michigan State 82-69 at Assembly Hall. Here is the full video of their interview, 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