Indiana collapses in second half of blowout loss at Michigan State: 'That's where the game just flipped'

The Breslin Center fell silent as Lamar Wilkerson slammed down a thunderous dunk to make it 53-53 with No. 12 Michigan State.

With 11:18 left in the ballgame, the Indiana was back in it. They had an opportunity to get their first Quad 1 win of the season, and all the momentum was in their favor.

For a brief moment, IU silenced the raucous home crowd in East Lansing, but nearly seven minutes later, the number next to Indiana’s logo on the videoboard at the Breslin Center was still 53.

It took six minutes, 45 seconds for Indiana to finally put the ball in the basket again, and by the time a seemingly endless scoring drought ended, the Spartans were up by 17.

It was over. And the Hoosiers’ chances at a big-time road win? Dashed with an 81-60 defeat.

“I thought we had some poor offensive possessions, which was the same thing that happened to us the other day at home,” head coach Darian DeVries said.

“We had some turnovers, maybe a couple of non-quality shots, and that led to their transition. You can’t give them transition, especially here, and that’s where the game just flipped.”

Postgame Q&A: Darian DeVries, Lamar Wilkerson discuss Indiana’s 81-60 loss at Michigan State

And it certainly did flip, as the Spartans took control in an instant. It started with a 7-0 burst that resulted in a timeout, but that didn’t slow Tom Izzo’s team down one bit.

Michigan State scored five more quick points, prompting DeVries to use another timeout. Up by 12 with 8:35 to go, the Spartans were soaring, and the Hoosiers had no response.

Three turnovers led to six MSU points during the stretch, with the Hoosiers totaling 14 throughout the contest. The Spartans were able to get out in transition, with a Coen Carr dunk cementing the dominance that would continue as the second half rolled on.

“We’ve got to do a better job, especially when you’re in that parsed portion of the game,” DeVries added.

“It’s like you’ve gotten yourself — it’s a tied game, there’s 11 minutes to go — being able to play off two feet, make those sound decisions, still run a good offense, still be aggressive, but prioritize the basketball more.”

28-2. The game had been tied less than nine minutes prior, but Indiana let another one slip away, and this time, in a major way. The Hoosiers shot 1-for-8 during the stretch, leading to their ultimate demise on the road.

“Of course, it’s disappointing, man. We fumbled two of ’em we should have got,” guard Lamar Wilkerson said postgame.

“Each game, we were in the game, man. So, like I said, we just got to get better in the locker room as a team, just build that chemistry when we face adversity.”

Before Indiana’s meltdown at Michigan State, it dropped one at home to Nebraska after previously leading by 16 points. Second-half collapses are becoming the norm, as the Hoosiers hope to avoid sinking further down the Big Ten standings.

At 3-3 in conference play, Indiana still has every opportunity in front of it, but performances like the one seen in East Lansing can’t continue. Wilkerson may have scored 19 points, but the team around him isn’t close to where it needs to be.

The Hoosiers aren’t playing complementary basketball, proven by the fact that when Wilkerson stopped scoring, Indiana was held scoreless for more than six and a half minutes. Yes, the Breslin Center presents a tough challenge, especially when the crowd gets involved in the second half, but Indiana scoring just two points during a span of nearly nine minutes is a sign of a team not prepared for the rest of the season.

The Big Ten presents intimidating road environments night in and night out, and for Indiana to start stacking wins instead of losses, it will need to improve in high-pressure situations.

That’s not what happened Tuesday night, as DeVries’ group crumbled once again. Against Minnesota, Louisville, Kentucky, Nebraska and Michigan State — all of Indiana’s losses thus far — the opposition has managed at least an 8-0 run during a crucial stretch of the ballgame, with Louisville, Nebraska and MSU each featuring runs greater than 15-0.

Instant Analysis: Four takeaways from Indiana’s loss to Michigan State

Allowing massive momentum swings isn’t sustainable, and the Hoosiers fully understand that. With an NCAA Tournament appearance as their ultimate goal, they’ll need at least seven wins in the final 14 games to do so, with eight or nine victories being the more comfortable scenario.

“The guys get it. They understand it. They know what importance that is in both areas of defensive rebounding and turnovers,” DeVries told reporters.

“We said it from day one — those are the two biggest factors, in my opinion, in winning and losing basketball games, and tonight we got beat in both.”

Indiana looks to right the wrongs seen at MSU with a home date against Iowa on Saturday. After that comes a road trip to No. 4 Michigan.

The Big Ten can be unforgiving, and with Indiana surrendering a 28-2 run against the Spartans on Tuesday night, it did itself absolutely no favors.

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