Indiana men’s basketball will look to bounce back after a devastating home loss to Northwestern that severely damaged the Hoosiers’ NCAA Tournament hopes. Coming to town is a Michigan State team fresh off an impressive win at Mackey Arena, where Indiana was blown out by nearly 30 points last week.
If there is a path to the Big Dance for Indiana, it starts with a win over the Spartans. This was likely the case even before the loss to Northwestern, but it’s become basically a must-win game for Darian DeVries if he wants to make the tournament in his first year as Indiana’s head coach.
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This is a Michigan State team Indiana has seen already this season, suffering a 21-point loss in East Lansing in mid January. This rematch will be a good test of whether the Hoosiers have grown since that first matchup and how much fight is left in this group.
Here are 3 things to know about Sparty before Sunday’s game:
Defense
Michigan State in 2026 is a well-rounded team that has the parts to compete in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments, but it starts with the defense, which comes in at sixth nationally in KenPom’s efficiency ratings.
Last time out, the Spartans clamped down on Indiana’s offense, holding everyone but Lamar Wilkerson under 10 points in the contest. Indiana has matured since that meeting, but secondary scoring remains an issue, one that Indiana will have to overcome against one of the top defenses in the country this Sunday.
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Part of what makes them so tough for opposing offenses is that they lead the country in opposing offensive rebound rate. Tom Izzo has a long, athletic group this year that excels on the glass – another area that Indiana has really struggled with this year.
Overcoming this defense will require Indiana to be at its absolute best, with somebody, preferably multiple players, besides Wilkerson scoring and maximum effort on every rebound.
Jeremy Fears
Last time out, Indiana had absolutely no answer for Jeremy Fears, who went for 23 points, 10 assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Everything Izzo wants to do on offense and defense starts with Fears, who has been more than ready for that role this season with the Spartans.
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His scoring performance against Indiana earlier this year was somewhat exceptional, as he averages 14.9 a game, but he also averages more than nine assists per contest. Even if he isn’t scoring, the ball is going through his hands on each possession.
The only weak spot in his game this season has been 3-point shooting, where he’s under 30%, but he went 4-8 from deep last week against UCLA, so Indiana cannot leave him too much space on the perimeter.
As we saw earlier this year, Indiana probably doesn’t have the talent or athleticism to stop him, so DeVries will need to have his guys ready for a team effort to slow him down.
Tom Izzo
Izzo has suffered some upsets in March, which are memorable because they are the exception rather than the rule for Michigan State under his leadership. This year’s team appears to be peaking at the right time ahead of postseason play, much more typical of what you’d expect from the future hall of fame coach.
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In practice, this means that Indiana should not be hoping to catch this team off guard. It’s coming off a big win at Purdue, but it’s a team led by a star in Fears and a coach who understands that stringing together consecutive big wins is the name of the game in college basketball.
The Spartans are a lock for the NCAA Tournament at this point, but right on the cusp of being a No. 3-seed, per Bracket Matrix. A three seed is a much easier path to the Elite Eight, and should be well within Michigan State’s reach after the win at Purdue.
These are all things that Izzo will be well aware of heading into Sunday, as well as the fact that he’s facing an Indiana team desperate to claw back onto the right side of the bubble. Lesser coaches might be vulnerable for a let down game, but I wouldn’t expect it from Izzo this Sunday.
