GRAHAM: Learning Your ABCs

By Andy Graham, IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - Michigan State's 85-57 win Jan. 13 over Indiana seemed, in some crucial ways, as easy as A, B, C.

"They ran faster than us, they posted harder than us, they rebounded with greater toughness on both ends," IU coach Archie Miller told the media Friday. "They just didn't allow us (to stay competitive) on the A, B, C things.

"We weren't good in the normal A, B, C basketball plays. It wasn't about intricate systems or all that. We got out-physicaled. We got out-manned."

MSU's manpower – perhaps as talented as any team's in the nation – hasn't changed heading into Saturday's 8:15 p.m. tipoff at IU's Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

The No. 5-ranked Spartans (21-3 overall and 9-2 in Big Ten play) still feature an entire starting five averaging double-figure scoring and plenty of depth.

"If you look at their starting five, you could argue, make a case, it's probably one of the most talented starting fives in college basketball," Miller said. "They're really hard to deal with.

"I mean, it starts with tremendous physicality at all positions, not just one. When they sub, in particular defensively, they don't really take a dropoff. They can continue to just keep coming with the physicality on the glass and the speed with which they play at on offense. Their depth is definitely a strength."

Sophomores Miles Bridges (17.9 points per game), Nick Ward (13.4), Joshua Langford (1.30) and Cassius Winston (12.5) are augmented in the Spartan starting five by 6-foot-11 freshman Jaren Jackson, Jr., an Indianapolis-area product who averages 11.4 points and whose 82 shot-blocks is catalytic to MSU leading the nation in that category.

The Spartans enter with a 20-point average margin of victory this season. MSU outrebounds its opponents 42-30 on average and, during its first meeting with IU, mauled the Hoosiers on the boards (45-27).

Indiana, which hasn't always gotten consistent scoring production from its guard corps this season, got 21 points from senior Robert Johnson and 14 from classmate Josh Newkirk that night. Hoosier scoring leader Juwan Morgan scored just two points, however, as the IU frontcourt was dominated.

But Morgan averaged 23 points and shot .623 from the floor over the subsequent four games. The Hoosiers would obviously welcome that sort of production Saturday.

Since that last win over IU, Michigan State has stayed hot to run its current winning streak to five. Indiana is in the midst of four games in eight days, during which it will have played three ranked foes.

Saturday's 71-56 loss at No. 18 Ohio State didn't go well for Indiana from the get-go, especially from a shooting standpoint.

But the Hoosiers made only eight turnovers in that game, matching their season-low total, and that is one statistical area in which the Spartans have sometimes proved vulnerable. IU is third in the league in turnover margin (+2.8) while MSU is 13th (-3.0).

IU also got a career-high 20 points at OSU from sophomore guard Devonte Green, who sank 4 of 5 3-point attempts and had no turnovers in 30 minutes of play.

"I think it's just attitude," Miller said of Green's performance. "I thought he had a humbleness about him. I think most guys can react in certain ways when they don't maybe play as well or didn't play as much minutes as he wanted against Purdue (during Sunday's 74-67 loss to the No. 3-ranked Boilermakers).

"I thought he paid attention. His attention to detail in our walk-throughs and conversations and scouting was much better. You could tell on game day, through our game day prep, in the shoot-around, he was pretty dialed in. I thought he had a pretty good attitude going into that game. He played really well. He was under control. He was one of the bright spots in the game."

IU also got nine points and six boards off the bench from senior Freddie McSwain Jr.

"Our last three games, he's done a nice job," Miller said of McSwain. "He's competed probably as well as anybody inside defensively. He continues to sort of give us activity on the glass, rebound.

"He's had moments where he's been able to finish some balls off around the basket for us. He's playing well. Probably his best stretch (of the season). Definitely going to need him as many minutes as he can handle against Michigan State just because the amount of size they have."

Miller also had praise for junior winger Josh McRoberts and noted that he and freshman Justin Smith will have to help IU battle MSU on the boards better.

"Justin has had his moments where I think he's really attacked the offensive glass, showed his talent level there," Miller said. "But the physicality, the one-on-one rebounding battles, just the strength to go up and get balls, wanting to get balls, he's got to have a different mindset finishing out this month.

"It would be a big, big lift, as we talked about yesterday with him, if he could start to really concentrate and start to rebound at a higher clip."

During his Thursday night radio show, Miller expounded a bit upon the potential Smith has shown while averaging 8.0 points and shooting .574 from the field after replacing the injured De'Ron Davis in IU's starting lineup:

"Justin's biggest strength is that he's a really intelligent kid. He's a really respectful and coachable guy. He loves the game, loves working his craft. He's made some real improvements and he's learning the college game. From a physical standpoint, you look at a guy who'll hopefully (in the future) be higher energy, more contact-related, a guy who can drive and get fouled. He's working on his shot. He's got a lot of upside."

That's something all the young Spartans clearly possess, too.

"I think their overall size and talent level," Miller said of MSU, "(and) obviously experience that their freshmen got a year ago turning into sophomores, you can see a team that's got a lot ahead of them."

The Spartans lead the league in field-goal percentage at .516 while holding foes to a paltry .357. MSU shot .542 to IU's .339 in the first matchup.

"I think the first time we played them, we caught them playing maybe as well as they've played all season," Miller said. "Their physicality, the speed with which they played at, the toughness, it was all on display. We really didn't have a whole lot of answers that night.

"We're going to have to be a lot better in a lot of areas. Hopefully we have an energized building that helps our guys compete. It's going to be one of those nights where you're going to have a tough, hard-fought night."

The Hoosiers will have their third two-day turnaround in the past six games, all ending with road games, when IU travels for Monday's game at Rutgers.

"Rutgers is an extremely hard-playing team," Miller said. "Watching them on film, the way they defend, the way they rebound right now, is as good as any in the league. It will be a really hard, hard game for us, as well."

The schedule sequences games a bit more equitably after Monday as IU's five-game conference stretch drive transpires over 18 days, with three of the games at home.

"As you get through Rutgers, it spaces out a little bit more," Miller said. "The light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak … at that point hopefully you're playing your best ball."

The Hoosiers will need to play that way both Saturday night and Monday night to win.

COLLIN COMING ALONG
Miller also updated Collin Hartman's injury status, saying the senior winger was progressing from a "lower leg" issue but was not necessarily going to play against Michigan State. Miller indicated that Hartman's return was perhaps more likely at Rutgers or later.

DE'RON NOT YET DE'RUNNING

De'Ron Davis, the 6-foot-10 sophomore who started the first 15 games before his season ended with a Jan. 10 surgery to repair the Achilles tendon in his right heel, also met with the media Friday. He got some stitches out this past week, but still has a pair of heel-lifts in his walking boot and doesn't yet have a firm timetable as to when he'll again be fully ambulatory.

Davis, who was shooting .615 from the field while averaging 9.6 points and 4.3 boards before the injury, said the rehabilitation process was still considered to be in the expected "six-to-nine month" period. He said his absence from the court was just one reason he is determined to rekindle his "love for the game" in the interim.

He added that he felt he started this season strongly but then fell off in terms of production before his injury, grading his overall showing harshly. He said he felt "helpless" being unable to help his team on the court while injured, especially against "teams with a lot of size, like Purdue or Ohio State," and that it is all just making him hungry.

"I want to be more aggressive on offense and defense," Davis said of his eventual return, "and play more freely, with more joy."

Players Mentioned

De'Ron Davis

Devonte Green

Collin Hartman

Robert Johnson

Freddie McSwain Jr.

Juwan Morgan

Josh Newkirk

Justin Smith

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