Hoosiers' Paint Presence the Key to Win over MSU
1/24/2020 3:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - They went into the paint. Then they went into the paint again. Then again. Then again.
Indiana attacked the basket over and over again vs. Michigan State, outscoring the Spartans 34-18 in the paint en route to a 67-63 win over the Spartans.
IU has struggled mightily from the perimeter this season, coming into the battle with MSU shooting less than 30 percent from 3-point range. The Hoosiers have been at their best when they are running the offense through their bigs or driving to the basket, and they put on a clinic when it comes to feeding the post.
Junior Joey Brunk scored a couple of early buckets to give IU a boost. So did freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis. That opened the floor for their teammates, and they helped Indiana get out to a 25-10 lead midway through the first half.
And when the Spartans managed to close the gap, the Hoosiers didn't panic, didn't fall into bad habits. They stayed away from bad shots and, more importantly, kept grinding without getting careless with the ball.
The result was a 4-of-12 night from 3-point range and just eight turnovers.
And a win.
"We didn't jack shots," head coach Archie Miller said. "And I thought when guys did put the ball down, they were aggressive at least getting to the basket, and we had hopefully some assist-type plays and passes that were good."
Brunk was huge, scoring 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting and grabbing six rebounds. Jackson-Davis scored 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting with four boards. That dominance inside, coupled with the fact they combined for three assists and just one turnover, showed what can be possible when the Hoosiers are at their best.
"I can't really put it in weight, but it's not measurable what Joe has meant to us," Miller said. "His everyday approach is something, as a coach, you marvel at, the work ethic. And there's no fake work ethic. There's no -- I mean, he's at it every day. You never question his effort. He has improved -- for a first-year player in our system, learning what's going on with new players – he has improved as much as any player I've been around from month-to-month."
Junior Aljami Durham added an efficient 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting. He went 2-of-3 from 3-point range, including a buzzer-beater to give Indiana a 37-30 lead at the break. Durham obviously isn't a big man, but the guard was aggressive going to the bucket and made some big shots along the way by getting to the rim.
"I thought he was comfortable on offense most of the game," Miller said. "He made plays from the outside, made some really good shots, and I felt at the end of the game he was the most comfortable of having the aggressiveness to make a play to get to the basket and score."
Then there was the rebounding.
Michigan State came into the game with the second-best rebounding margin in the Big Ten this season, but IU handled its business on the glass, outrebounding the Spartans 31-29 overall and 10-5 on the offensive boards. IU held MSU to four second-chance points, and that kept the Spartans from building momentum. It also helped Indiana hang on to its confidence.
"There's no more important number to our team than rebounding," Miller said. "It's not just this game. This game carries a little bit more weight when you play them because of how good they are and the attention that they give you that you have to have when you're rebounding. But I thought our guys rebounded the ball really well for most of the game. We had very few long ones or hustle plays we didn't get. Maybe the start of the second half there was one flurry that we didn't do a good job. But for the most part, we rebounded the ball pretty well."
Finally, redshirt sophomore Race Thompson played 11 minutes, scored four points and grabbed four rebounds while also playing gritty defense and battling on the boards. Thompson took a tough fall late in the first half and was knocked out of the game, but his presence in the paint had an impact.
"I thought Race Thompson was unbelievably good in the game," Miller said. "He played his tail off on both ends of the floor -- his best game as a collegiate player."
Indiana showcased its potential in the victory, what it's capable of when it sticks to its strengths. It also showed what's possible when the team plays like a team. Last season, IU suffered through some difficult close losses, and those tough lessons are paying off this season.
"I think the guys that were here last year understand how hard it is to win," Miller said. "And you can't take it for granted. And you can't have any slippage when it comes to the daily process. I thought our guys have done a really nice job in the last month, win or lose, of just having a really good approach to the process."
Indiana attacked the basket over and over again vs. Michigan State, outscoring the Spartans 34-18 in the paint en route to a 67-63 win over the Spartans.
IU has struggled mightily from the perimeter this season, coming into the battle with MSU shooting less than 30 percent from 3-point range. The Hoosiers have been at their best when they are running the offense through their bigs or driving to the basket, and they put on a clinic when it comes to feeding the post.
Junior Joey Brunk scored a couple of early buckets to give IU a boost. So did freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis. That opened the floor for their teammates, and they helped Indiana get out to a 25-10 lead midway through the first half.
And when the Spartans managed to close the gap, the Hoosiers didn't panic, didn't fall into bad habits. They stayed away from bad shots and, more importantly, kept grinding without getting careless with the ball.
The result was a 4-of-12 night from 3-point range and just eight turnovers.
And a win.
"We didn't jack shots," head coach Archie Miller said. "And I thought when guys did put the ball down, they were aggressive at least getting to the basket, and we had hopefully some assist-type plays and passes that were good."
Brunk was huge, scoring 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting and grabbing six rebounds. Jackson-Davis scored 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting with four boards. That dominance inside, coupled with the fact they combined for three assists and just one turnover, showed what can be possible when the Hoosiers are at their best.
"I can't really put it in weight, but it's not measurable what Joe has meant to us," Miller said. "His everyday approach is something, as a coach, you marvel at, the work ethic. And there's no fake work ethic. There's no -- I mean, he's at it every day. You never question his effort. He has improved -- for a first-year player in our system, learning what's going on with new players – he has improved as much as any player I've been around from month-to-month."
Junior Aljami Durham added an efficient 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting. He went 2-of-3 from 3-point range, including a buzzer-beater to give Indiana a 37-30 lead at the break. Durham obviously isn't a big man, but the guard was aggressive going to the bucket and made some big shots along the way by getting to the rim.
"I thought he was comfortable on offense most of the game," Miller said. "He made plays from the outside, made some really good shots, and I felt at the end of the game he was the most comfortable of having the aggressiveness to make a play to get to the basket and score."
Then there was the rebounding.
Michigan State came into the game with the second-best rebounding margin in the Big Ten this season, but IU handled its business on the glass, outrebounding the Spartans 31-29 overall and 10-5 on the offensive boards. IU held MSU to four second-chance points, and that kept the Spartans from building momentum. It also helped Indiana hang on to its confidence.
"There's no more important number to our team than rebounding," Miller said. "It's not just this game. This game carries a little bit more weight when you play them because of how good they are and the attention that they give you that you have to have when you're rebounding. But I thought our guys rebounded the ball really well for most of the game. We had very few long ones or hustle plays we didn't get. Maybe the start of the second half there was one flurry that we didn't do a good job. But for the most part, we rebounded the ball pretty well."
Finally, redshirt sophomore Race Thompson played 11 minutes, scored four points and grabbed four rebounds while also playing gritty defense and battling on the boards. Thompson took a tough fall late in the first half and was knocked out of the game, but his presence in the paint had an impact.
"I thought Race Thompson was unbelievably good in the game," Miller said. "He played his tail off on both ends of the floor -- his best game as a collegiate player."
Indiana showcased its potential in the victory, what it's capable of when it sticks to its strengths. It also showed what's possible when the team plays like a team. Last season, IU suffered through some difficult close losses, and those tough lessons are paying off this season.
"I think the guys that were here last year understand how hard it is to win," Miller said. "And you can't take it for granted. And you can't have any slippage when it comes to the daily process. I thought our guys have done a really nice job in the last month, win or lose, of just having a really good approach to the process."
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballFB: Under the Hood with Indiana Football - Week 4 (Illinois)
Wednesday, September 17
FB: Kellan Wyatt Media Availability (9/16/25)
Tuesday, September 16
FB: Mikail Kamara Media Availability (9/16/25)
Tuesday, September 16
FB: Curt Cignetti Media Availability (9/15/25)
Monday, September 15