EAST LANSING– Getting swept out west by then No. 1 UCLA and No. 4 USC while showing a lot of fight should not be cause for concern for No. 22 Michigan State. However, it does raise the stakes of this matchup in the Breslin Center against Indiana. To stay on track for a top five seed in the NCAA tournament, securing the home win against a dangerous Hoosiers squad is vital.
The two teams are also vying for superiority in the Big Ten standings as they both hold an in- league record of 9-6. The winner stays alive for a top four finish in the B1G, granting them a double bye in the conference tournament, as the loser’s chances diminish greatly.
While MSU added two marks to their loss column in Los Angeles, the re-emergence of graduate guard Julia Ayrault as a scoring threat is a big positive. Ayrault combined for 34 points over the last two games and remained productive elsewhere on the floor, especially against USC. She earned a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and got up for two blocks in the loss to the Trojans.
This was on the same night junior forward Grace VanSlooten went off for a season-high 29 points on 9-18 shooting and junior guard Theryn Hallock got in double figures with 12 points. The Spartans had enough offensive output to get the win, a lack of effective defense and ball control cost them.
VanSlooten and Hallock combined for 11 turnovers, contributing to the team total of 21. USC was then able to cash them in for 22 points. While MSU won the TO margin by two and tied in points of TO’s, these stats typically swing heavily in the direction of the Spartans. The Trojans did enough defensively to make these categories a wash, thus cutting a major MSU advantage out of the game.
USC’s halfcourt offense then took care of the rest, as sophomore guard Juju Watkins and graduate forward Kiki Irafien combined to score 52. Irafien also hauled in 10 rebounds, five offensive, along with her 24 points for the double double.
The Spartans need to keep the offense in rhythm against IU while playing with control. MSU needs to retain the advantage their speed and press give them, as the Hoosiers can give them all they can handle without the extra opportunities. USC certainly plays with more disruption, as IU only ranks 16th among the Big Ten in steals, but their scoring abilities are somewhat comparable.
Scouting Indiana
After dropping two games on the road against Minnesota and Michigan, the Hoosiers are up and running with home wins against Purdue and No. 8 Ohio State. IU secured the upset over the top ten Buckeyes through outside shooting and presence on the glass.
The Hoosiers rank second in conference in three-point percentage at 36.7% and shot way above that mark against OSU, going 9-17 from three for 52.9%. IU made this an even bigger problem for the Buckeyes by continuously ripping chances away from them.
The Hoosiers held OSU to 20 total boards and outrebounded them by 14. Out of IU’s 34 rebounds, 31 were defensive as OSU’s second chance points were down to four. While IU hung around their rebounding average of 33.5, last in the conference, they turned this deficiency into a dominant performance by shutting out their opponents on the glass.
The Spartans need to make sure this does not happen to them, as VanSlooten and slasher guards in the backcourt have to at least stay level in this battle. This is because limited chances to score can totally take you out of a game against the deep Hoosiers.
Against OSU, the Hoosiers saw four double figure scoring performances. Junior guards Shay Ciezki and Yardon Garzon, graduate guard Sydney Parrish, and senior forward Karoline Striplin all scored at least 11 points and are all averaging at least 10 points per game. Garzon leads the pack with 13.9 ppg and shoots from beyond the arc at a 40.2% clip.
In what might become a shootout in East Lansing, MSU needs to match up offensively with the extensive Hoosiers attack and turn the tide in other areas. Pulling down enough boards on both ends of the floor and re-establishing themselves as a dominator in the TO battle are key for a Spartan victory.
MSU and IU meet for the B1G showdown on Sunday at 2 p.m., with Jacob Maurer and Kyle Keegan on the call for Impact 89 FM.
