Believe it or not, Sunday’s Michigan State vs Indiana game actually has a ton on the line. The Spartans will head to Bloomington with hopes of no Purdue win hangover and Indiana is looking to pick up one of its best wins of the season to bolster that NCAA Tournament resume.
It’s not going to be an easy matchup for the Spartans with Indiana playing at a high level.
I mean, I can already feel the Hoosiers shooting about 10 percent higher from three than their season average. They almost always get hot at home against the Spartans, much like Purdue does. Assembly Hall has not been kind to the green and white over the past decade as Michigan State is just 2-5 at the venue since 2016.
One curse has already been broken this week in Indiana, why not two?
There’s going to be a lot on the line for the Spartans in this one. It feels like a must-win.
What’s on the line between Michigan State and Indiana?
Let’s get this out of the way because it’s only fair I address it on the Hoosiers’ behalf. The one thing on the line for Indiana is an NCAA Tournament berth. The Hoosiers are on the wrong side of the bubble after a home loss to Northwestern, but a win over Michigan State would vault them back into that positive talk.
For Michigan State, however, there’s a lot more on the line.
Not only if a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament on the line in Bloomington, but so is a top four seed in the Big Ten Tournament. If Michigan State beats the Hoosiers, that would likely guarantee it a top four seed and a triple-bye in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. They would have four losses compared to Illinois and Purdue’s five while holding the tie-breaker and facing a home matchup with Rutgers.
If Michigan State beats Indiana, it will only have to beat a bottom-dwelling Rutgers team in East Lansing to lock up a triple-bye and a likely top-3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
A loss puts all of that at risk, almost needing a win at Michigan to end the year.
So before you overlook Sunday’s game against Indiana at Assembly Hall, just remember that this is a must-win for Michigan State if it wants better seeding in March.