2/21 Big Ten Preview: Indiana Heads to Michigan State

There is only one Big Ten game tonight with Michigan State set to host the top 20 Indiana Hoosiers.

Game of the Night

#17 Indiana Hoosiers at Michigan State Spartans

• Time/TV: 9:00 PM ET ESPN
• Line: Michigan State -3.0

The lone game tonight is a big one for all parties involved. For Indiana, a loss here would likely end any outside chance of a Big Ten regular season title as they would fall three games back to Purdue with three games remaining. A win would keep the deficit at two and create an outside shot. As for the Spartans, a win would put them in six way tie for the last double bye for the NCAA Tournament and potential help a seed line that is currently hovering around the 8 or 9 spot.

Indiana found a way to pull out a win against Illinois, bouncing back from a loss at Northwestern. The Hoosiers have not played well on the road as of late, losing to Maryland and Northwestern and only beating Michigan and Minnesota by a combined five points in their last four road games. The Hoosiers currently sit at 3-5 on the road in conference play.

Michigan State played their first game in a week this past weekend and came up just short in an emotional game at Michigan. The loss ended a two game winning streak that was a return to form (of sorts) after a 2-5 a stretch. Michigan State’s schedule is about to soften up to close out the season, so a win tonight could set up the Spartans for a potential four (or five, if Minnesota gets rescheduled) game winning streak heading into the Big Ten Tournament.

The biggest question is can Michigan State find some level of consistency on offense. There have been far too many winnable games this season that didn’t happen because the offense struggled or couldn’t maintain success throughout a full 40 minutes. Even in their recent wins against Maryland and Ohio State that was more the end result of their defensive performances, something that is troubling heading into tonight’s game against a Hoosiers team that has shown they can score.

Indiana will once again look to ride Trayce Jackson-Davis as he’s led the team in scoring in all but two games since we hit 2023. He’s also led the team in rebounds in every game during that same span. If the Spartans can slow down Jackson-Davis that will go a long way to landing the win tonight.

The Hoosiers have been the better team but they’ve struggled all season on the road. Michigan State needs some work on the offensive side of the ball but they’re at home and have been steady on the defensive side of the ball most of the season. Michigan State only gets the nod here because of Indiana’s inability to play at the same level when on the road.

Pick: Michigan State