Indiana University Athletics
DIPRIMIO: IU Skips Big Picture For This Focus: Beat Michigan State
1/22/2020 9:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The question came, and Al Durham tried to quiet it in a classic speak-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick approach when facing a huge game.
And you'd better believe it will be huge when No. 9/11 Michigan State (14-4 overall, 6-1 in the Big Ten) faces Indiana (14-4, 4-3) in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Thursday night.
Yes, the Hoosiers swept the Spartans last season and have beaten four straight ranked opponents in Assembly Hall to reaffirm that the nearly 50-year-old arena provides one of the biggest home-court advantages in all of college sports.
But talk about it? Durham, IU's junior guard, jokingly tried to keep it hush-hush during the press conference previewing the game.
"Shhsh, shhsh, shhsh," Durham offered.
And then, when pressed:
"We know Michigan State is a good team. We're going to have to come ready. We're going to have to come in locked in, stay focused and try to get this win."
Senior guard Devonte Green made it even simpler in this embrace-but-don't-flaunt setting.
"We're approaching it with the same mentality that we always do when we play in Assembly Hall and get a lot of energy from our fans."
Energy should hit extreme levels given the quality of the opponent and the fact students are fully back from semester break. The key, Green and Durham said, is not make the game bigger than it is.
"You realize how important each win is, no matter who is the opponent," Green said. "You can't take it too lightly or too hard. You have to be locked in on every team you play."
Added Durham: "You prepare for each game the same way. No opponent is less worthy than the next. You approach each game like it's your last game and play as hard as you can."
IU has shown it can beat the Big Ten's bottom three teams (Nebraska, Ohio State and Northwestern are a combined 5-18).
Now comes its biggest tests. Can it beat two of the conference's best with Big Ten-leader Michigan State and then No. 17 Maryland (15-4, 5-3) on Sunday, both at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Coach Archie Miller's formula comes down to this -- don't complicate it.
"Make it as minimal as possible," he said. "We treat each game as a singular season. Each day is the most important thing you can go through. You can't do anything about anything other than today."
This approach has helped IU win three of its last four games, and get its first road victory of the season at Nebraska.
The result -- the Hoosiers are positioned to move into Big Ten title contention by sweeping these two games.
"We're working with our players, continuing to try to teach them, to build their confidence with repetitions," Miller said. "Make sure we've giving valuable feedback on good and bad, and getting better."
Every season is filled with highs and lows, Miller added, and short-term memory is critical whether you win or lose.
"You have to focus in and treat each day the same. As you move into the quick turnaround on Sunday playing another great team, are you mentally ready? Did you improve? Did you learn? Are you focused?
"If you dwell on the big picture, you start to think about things out of your control. You get distracted. So we have kept a very single-minded approach. Win the day."
Specifically the focus is on winning the Michigan State game. The Spartans' aura of invincibility against IU (seven wins in the previous eight meetings) was shattered last season, when the Hoosiers swept a Spartan team that went on to make the Final Four.
"Hopefully we compete because that's what it's going to come down to in terms of our effort level," Miller said. "You're not going to be perfect against this team, but you're going to have to control what you can.
"It comes down to your physicality and finding a way to win balls on the rebounding battle and finding a way to slow them down the best you can, although it's difficult and you're going to have to defend like crazy.
"Offensively is another story as well. They're one of the best defensive teams in the country. It's impossible around the rim to get easy baskets with their physicality and they've got great size right now on the perimeter, defending with length. So it presents a lot of challenges."
The challenge starts with point guard Cassius Winston, who runs Michigan State up-tempo attack with record-breaking intensity. He averages 18.1 points and 6.1 assists.
He broke a 20-year-old assist record set by former Spartan Mateen Cleaves in 2000. Cleaves had 816. Winston has 817.
Miller calls Winston, "The premier point guard in college basketball."
Winston is the biggest reason why the Spartans lead the nation in assists per game (19.1).
By contrast, IU averages 13.2 assists.
Forward Xavier Tillman averages 13.9 points and 10.0 rebounds. He shoots 54.5 percent from the field.
Swingman Aaron Henry averages 9.8 points and 4.4 rebounds.
Nine Spartans average at least 12.6 minutes a game.
Michigan State ranks second nationally in rebound margin, out-rebounding opponents by 10.1 a game. It also holds opponents to 37.4 percent shooting, ranking 13th nationally.
Facing Michigan State, Miller said on his Monday night radio show, is like a heavyweight fight.
"It doesn't have anything to do with Xs and Os, it has everything to do with when you come into that ring, are you ready to go? Because they are going to throw some serious haymaker and body blows at you. If you can't come off the mat a few times, they are going to run you down.
"We are going to have to get back. We are going to have to rebound and we are really going to have to deal with Cassius Winston in terms of not allowing him to pick us apart."
IU has out-rebounded Michigan State in three of its last four meetings with Miller as the coach.
"Michigan State's sustained success has correlated to rebounding," Miller said. "That's part of the game within the game when you play them.
"If you don't rebound, the game is over. You have to understand the rules of the game. It starts with the glass and moves into transition. If you can't handle those two things, you're going to get beat pretty good."
Michigan State has rolled through the Big Ten with the exception of a 29-point loss at Purdue, one of the worst of coach Tom Izzo's career.
The Spartans came back with a 67-55 home win over Wisconsin, making it nine victories in their last 10 games.
They have also lost to Kentucky, Duke and Virginia Tech.
"They're deeper than they've been in the past," Miller said. "They have a lot of guys stepping up and doing great jobs within their roles.
"They're a team with championship aspirations."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The question came, and Al Durham tried to quiet it in a classic speak-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick approach when facing a huge game.
And you'd better believe it will be huge when No. 9/11 Michigan State (14-4 overall, 6-1 in the Big Ten) faces Indiana (14-4, 4-3) in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Thursday night.
Yes, the Hoosiers swept the Spartans last season and have beaten four straight ranked opponents in Assembly Hall to reaffirm that the nearly 50-year-old arena provides one of the biggest home-court advantages in all of college sports.
But talk about it? Durham, IU's junior guard, jokingly tried to keep it hush-hush during the press conference previewing the game.
"Shhsh, shhsh, shhsh," Durham offered.
And then, when pressed:
"We know Michigan State is a good team. We're going to have to come ready. We're going to have to come in locked in, stay focused and try to get this win."
Senior guard Devonte Green made it even simpler in this embrace-but-don't-flaunt setting.
"We're approaching it with the same mentality that we always do when we play in Assembly Hall and get a lot of energy from our fans."
Energy should hit extreme levels given the quality of the opponent and the fact students are fully back from semester break. The key, Green and Durham said, is not make the game bigger than it is.
"You realize how important each win is, no matter who is the opponent," Green said. "You can't take it too lightly or too hard. You have to be locked in on every team you play."
Added Durham: "You prepare for each game the same way. No opponent is less worthy than the next. You approach each game like it's your last game and play as hard as you can."
IU has shown it can beat the Big Ten's bottom three teams (Nebraska, Ohio State and Northwestern are a combined 5-18).
Now comes its biggest tests. Can it beat two of the conference's best with Big Ten-leader Michigan State and then No. 17 Maryland (15-4, 5-3) on Sunday, both at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Coach Archie Miller's formula comes down to this -- don't complicate it.
"Make it as minimal as possible," he said. "We treat each game as a singular season. Each day is the most important thing you can go through. You can't do anything about anything other than today."
This approach has helped IU win three of its last four games, and get its first road victory of the season at Nebraska.
The result -- the Hoosiers are positioned to move into Big Ten title contention by sweeping these two games.
"We're working with our players, continuing to try to teach them, to build their confidence with repetitions," Miller said. "Make sure we've giving valuable feedback on good and bad, and getting better."
Every season is filled with highs and lows, Miller added, and short-term memory is critical whether you win or lose.
"You have to focus in and treat each day the same. As you move into the quick turnaround on Sunday playing another great team, are you mentally ready? Did you improve? Did you learn? Are you focused?
"If you dwell on the big picture, you start to think about things out of your control. You get distracted. So we have kept a very single-minded approach. Win the day."
Specifically the focus is on winning the Michigan State game. The Spartans' aura of invincibility against IU (seven wins in the previous eight meetings) was shattered last season, when the Hoosiers swept a Spartan team that went on to make the Final Four.
"Hopefully we compete because that's what it's going to come down to in terms of our effort level," Miller said. "You're not going to be perfect against this team, but you're going to have to control what you can.
"It comes down to your physicality and finding a way to win balls on the rebounding battle and finding a way to slow them down the best you can, although it's difficult and you're going to have to defend like crazy.
"Offensively is another story as well. They're one of the best defensive teams in the country. It's impossible around the rim to get easy baskets with their physicality and they've got great size right now on the perimeter, defending with length. So it presents a lot of challenges."
The challenge starts with point guard Cassius Winston, who runs Michigan State up-tempo attack with record-breaking intensity. He averages 18.1 points and 6.1 assists.
He broke a 20-year-old assist record set by former Spartan Mateen Cleaves in 2000. Cleaves had 816. Winston has 817.
Miller calls Winston, "The premier point guard in college basketball."
Winston is the biggest reason why the Spartans lead the nation in assists per game (19.1).
By contrast, IU averages 13.2 assists.
Forward Xavier Tillman averages 13.9 points and 10.0 rebounds. He shoots 54.5 percent from the field.
Swingman Aaron Henry averages 9.8 points and 4.4 rebounds.
Nine Spartans average at least 12.6 minutes a game.
Michigan State ranks second nationally in rebound margin, out-rebounding opponents by 10.1 a game. It also holds opponents to 37.4 percent shooting, ranking 13th nationally.
Facing Michigan State, Miller said on his Monday night radio show, is like a heavyweight fight.
"It doesn't have anything to do with Xs and Os, it has everything to do with when you come into that ring, are you ready to go? Because they are going to throw some serious haymaker and body blows at you. If you can't come off the mat a few times, they are going to run you down.
"We are going to have to get back. We are going to have to rebound and we are really going to have to deal with Cassius Winston in terms of not allowing him to pick us apart."
IU has out-rebounded Michigan State in three of its last four meetings with Miller as the coach.
"Michigan State's sustained success has correlated to rebounding," Miller said. "That's part of the game within the game when you play them.
"If you don't rebound, the game is over. You have to understand the rules of the game. It starts with the glass and moves into transition. If you can't handle those two things, you're going to get beat pretty good."
Michigan State has rolled through the Big Ten with the exception of a 29-point loss at Purdue, one of the worst of coach Tom Izzo's career.
The Spartans came back with a 67-55 home win over Wisconsin, making it nine victories in their last 10 games.
They have also lost to Kentucky, Duke and Virginia Tech.
"They're deeper than they've been in the past," Miller said. "They have a lot of guys stepping up and doing great jobs within their roles.
"They're a team with championship aspirations."
Players Mentioned
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