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Michigan State Basketball: Preview, prediction vs. Indiana in Week 11

By Connor Muldowney

BLOOMINGTON, IN - JANUARY 21: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans handles the ball while being guarded by Robert Johnson #4 of the Indiana Hoosiers in the first half at Assembly Hall on January 21, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - JANUARY 21: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans handles the ball while being guarded by Robert Johnson #4 of the Indiana Hoosiers in the first half at Assembly Hall on January 21, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Friday night’s Michigan State basketball game vs. Indiana is a perfect opportunity for the Spartans to get back on track.

Is it time to panic? Michigan State has lost two of three games and the win was in overtime at home against Rutgers. It’s safe to say the Spartans aren’t playing their best basketball, but no, it’s not time to panic just yet.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: 5 reasons not to panic after Michigan loss

Tom Izzo has dealt with much worse in his 20-plus years as head coach of the Spartans and will have this team back on track in no time. The slump can be attributed to turnovers and poor shooting, but that happens during a stretch in every season. Bumps in the road happen.

Michigan State (16-3, 4-2 Big Ten) will look to get back on track after a Michigan loss at home with a game against the Indiana Hoosiers (11-7, 4-2) and first-year head coach Archie Miller.

For this to happen, Miles Bridges needs to show he can be more aggressive, Cassius Winston needs to cut down his turnovers, Jaren Jackson Jr. needs to continue his dominance, Josh Langford needs to find his touch and Nick Ward must figure out how to beat double-teams.

Here’s how you can watch Friday night’s Michigan State vs. Indiana game:

Date: Friday, Jan. 19
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Breslin Center
TV: FOX Sports 1
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go

Keys to victory

Michigan State doesn’t just want to cut down on turnovers, it needs to. The Spartans are losing games lately because of that sloppy play and that can’t continue if they want to make a run at the Big Ten title. Winston needs to protect that ball better and Ward needs to get down into the paint more to catch entry passes and make double-teams useless.

On the defensive end, crashing the boards and avoiding second-chance buckets allowed with be important. Far too often, Michigan State has been out-toughed by opponents on the offensive glass and the Spartans can’t allow that to keep happening. They’re one of the best rebounding teams in the country and they need to act like it in Big Ten play.

Indiana players to watch

After losing to Wisconsin to resume Big Ten play in January, the Hoosiers have been on fire. In fact, they have beaten Minnesota, Penn State and Northwestern in three straight games to improve to 4-2 in conference action. Which players should we be watching for?

  • Juwan Morgan — 15.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 59% FG shooting
  • Robert Johnson — 13.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 42% FG shooting
  • Josh Newkirk — 8.6 points, 2.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 36% 3-point shooting

Next: MSU Basketball: Top 7 targets to watch in 2019 class

Prediction

While Michigan State is going to get back on track with a win against the Hoosiers, it still won’t be pretty. The Spartans are going to struggle early on in the first half with turnovers and head to the locker room with a slim lead. They’ll extend it in the second half before Indiana makes it interesting in the final minutes. Ultimately, Miles Bridges will make some big shots down the stretch to put the game away for good.

Final Score: Indiana 64, Michigan State 74

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