Michigan State Basketball: What victory over Indiana means for Spartans

It has been a very abnormal season for Michigan State basketball, however, things are looking up after a victory over the Indiana Hoosiers.

With such a big road victory, an NCAA Tournament bid seems a lot more achievable than it did even a week ago.

There are six games left in the regular season. Two of those six games come against the third-ranked Michigan Wolverines. One of those six games comes against fourth-ranked Ohio State, and one of them comes against fifth-ranked Illinois. It won’t be easy, but Andy Katz thinks Michigan State can make the tournament with a 4-2 finish to the season.

Do I think Michigan State can win four out of these last six games? Yes, I do. I think Michigan State can beat Maryland, Michigan once, Indiana again and even beat Illinois. It’s very hard to beat a team twice, so a second matchup with Indiana may not result in a victory, but if Michigan State can replicate Saturday’s performance in these next six games, I see nothing stopping the Spartans from winning four of them.

Their road to the tournament will begin today with their matchup with the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Illinois’ top scorer Ayo Dosunmu will have to be a top priority for the Spartans. He is averaging 21.2 points per game. He isn’t the only player the Spartans have to prioritize, however. The Spartans must figure out a way to also stop center Kofi Cockburn who’s averaging 17.6 points per game and leads the Fighting Illini in rebounds per game with 10.3.

To win this game, someone has to step up the way Aaron Henry did Saturday vs. Indiana. Hopefully, Henry and this team can replicate their performance and walk away with a victory today.