Indiana Basketball started out strong against No. 12 Michigan State; however, a 19-0 Spartan run in the second half sealed the Hoosiers’ fate.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has now seen eight different Indiana head coaches during his 31 years at Michigan State. The first Big Ten win of his career was his 65-60 win over the Hoosiers in 1996. Read more to see how he and the Spartans dominated this 2026 Indiana basketball Squad.
Takeaway #1: Indiana couldn’t hold onto their momentum
Whether it was the loud crowd, the talented opponent, or the small mistakes by Indiana, the Hoosiers just couldn’t hold onto the strong momentum that they started each half with. They led for most of the first half, their largest lead at 11:18, 17-10. It wasn’t until there were 5:18 left in the 1st that the Spartans were on top. While they didn’t necessarily have “full control” of the game, they certainly came into the Breslin Center with a strong presence. Indiana basketball found looks from downtown, a part of their offense that has been successful all season. Lamar Wilkerson, Tucker DeVries, Conor Enright, and Nick Dorn all collected points from downtown in the first half. When Michigan State sped up its pace, however, the game slightly got away from the Hoosiers.
The same pattern occurred in the 2nd half. Indiana came out of the locker room with some pep in their step, more specifically, some pep created by Wilkerson’s drained 3-pointer to start the half. Indiana Basketball brought their 8-point deficit to a 51-51 tie with 13:11 left in the half. The story here, though, is the shots the Hoosiers put up. DeVries and Reed Bailey found the passes in the paint. Indiana also just looked like they found a sense of rhythm.
Ultimately, though, it was no match for Michigan State’s physicality and speed. Once their lead was taken away, they sank 3-pointers left and right. Four Spartans shot for double digits: Jeremy Fears Jr., Jaxon Kohler, Kur Teng, and Jordan Scott. The team put together a 19-0 run against the Hoosiers, their best run of the season. Indiana couldn’t come up with anything on offense and fell apart on defense in the 2nd half.
Takeaway#2: Too many turnovers on both sides
Turnovers are the story of the game for both teams. Indiana’s 8 1st-half turnovers led to 19 points for the Spartans. Mistakes like this won’t fare well against strong, ranked opponents like MSU, and the Hoosiers got a cold taste of that. In the second half, IU added 6 turnovers to the list, collecting a total of 14 on the night. By the final whistle, the Spartans recorded 29 points off turnovers.
The turnover rate didn’t look amazing for Michigan State, though. They had 15 on the night, allowing the Hoosiers 23 points. This season, they have turned the ball over 201 times, averaging 12.6 per game, compared to Indiana’s 171 total and 10.7 average.
If it wasn’t for Indiana’s poor 2nd half performance, these turnovers could have been a real problem for the Spartans. As for Indiana, their turnovers essentially helped lose them the game.
Takeaway #3: Wilkerson continues to shine on offense
Despite the loss, Wilkerson pulled through on offense again. With 19 points on the night, he was way ahead of his teammates. DeVries followed with 9 points. Tied with six were Sam Alexis, Enright, and Dorn. Wilkerson shot 6-14 from the field, 5-11 from deep, and made both of his two shots from the stripe. The Sam Houston transfer continues to ball out game after game. Currently, he is in the top five point leaders in the Big Ten Conference, averaging 20.3 points per game. This also makes him 30th overall this season.
Lamar Wilkerson SLAM 😤 @IndianaMBB
📺: Peacock pic.twitter.com/xCl9s2OkLt
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 14, 2026
Wilkerson is a clear standout for Indiana basketball. He has recorded double digits in all but one game this season, and even then, he was only one point away. Indiana needs to keep looking for the pass to Lamar because most of the time, his shot goes in.
Takeaway#4: Fears Jr. on fire
Jeremy Fears Jr. truly kept Michigan State in the game early. Their first 10 points came from him. Most of his offensive work came in the first half. By halftime, he recorded 19 points. He had 23 points on the night and grabbed 10 rebounds to give him the double-double. The sophomore went 57.1% from the field.
Fears Jr. is ranked sixth in the Big Ten for fast break points, and on Tuesday he showed this speed against Indiana. Tonight, Michigan State recorded 25 fast-break points.
Jeremy Fears Jr. has 1️⃣2️⃣ of @MSU_Basketball‘s 1️⃣5️⃣ points so far tonight 😳
📺: Peacock pic.twitter.com/CNkM5NBFIF
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 14, 2026
Looking at the game, MSU’s speed of play was what ultimately brought down the Hoosiers. If it were not for Fears Jr. and his ability to carry the offense and give it that speed, this game script could have looked a lot different.
Next up for Indiana Basketball: Iowa (12-4,2-3) at Indiana (12-5, 3-3) – Jan. 17 at 2 p.m.