Izzo Looks to Set Big Ten All-Time Wins Record While Hosting the Hoosiers, Woodson & IU Not Seeing Eye-to-Eye

After a 2-game, west coast skid, Michigan State (19-4, 2nd 10-2) #11/#11 returned to the win column Saturday with a resounding and emphatic, come-from-behind win against Oregon.

As one team rallied around former champions and old teammates that have made their coach so successful, the other team is rumored to have a fractured relationship with theirs and is potentially leaving at year’s end. Indiana (14-10, 5-8 Big Ten) has the largest Big Ten NIL budget and among the largest in the Division 1 Basketball and will attract many of the top names on the board to replace Mike Woodson. I believe among the hottest candidates will certainly be Michigan’s current coach and former Hoosier alumni, Dusty May.

Regardless, these programs are in opposite directions. MSU is 3 games removed from a 13-game win streak, but still in the hunt with Purdue and Michigan for the regular season crown. The Hoosiers are mired in a difficult stretch of 7 losses in their last 8 games with a handful of close games against Northwestern, Maryland, Purdue and Michigan. The question here, will the players of Indiana rally for each other if the locker room has lost Coach Woodson? They certainly have been competitive across those 8 games, but in big matchups they’ve largely been out classed by double digits vs Louisville, Gonzaga, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, were all ugly.

The Spartans will smell blood in the water. This rivalry has been nothing short of heated as two of the longer storied and more successful conference programs are no strangers to playing at elite levels the past 30 years. This will not a pushover game for MSU, they will still need to earn it.

Hoosier’s defense has been reeling and that should be the focus for Coach Izzo and approach. MSU should be able to keep the glass largely clean but cannot cut corners on box outs. Tempo is similar but Indiana does not take many 3-pointers, which should be another edge for MSU. As long as Xavier Booker and Jeremy Fears are healthy and nobody else falls ill, Coach Izzo will have his depth to use to their advantage to keep Indiana on their heels. The Hoosiers don’t force many turnovers, but they check in at 73rd in Free Throw Defense Rate. MSU will look to continue to get to the charity stripe, but they will have a battle with Hoosier leading scorer Oumar Ballo (C- 7’0″) who averages 13.7 ppg, 9.6 rbs and 2.4 apg, along with Mackenzie Mgbako (13.3 ppg), Malik Reneau (12.3 ppg) and Myles Rice (11.1 ppg) check in with double figures. Coach Woodson plays 3-4 deep off the bench with the minimum averaging 16.9 minutes per game, up to 26.5 minutes.

If the Spartans can get back to running the fast break, limit the self-inflicted turnovers and take care of the basketball, I don’t see how Indiana continues to slow opponents down and MSU could crack 80+ team points. Jase Richardson put the conference on notice that he can be “that guy.” Frankie Fidler has emerged as the most valuable 6th-Man playing incredible on-ball defense, runs the break well and can create some for his own shot and occasionally hit a few from deep. He has been the guard with length that has stopped a few hot opposing guards early, to help get his team back in the game and earlier, had a great 4-game stretch of notable offensive outputs to match his energy and hustle on the defensive end. The big men will need to be on their A-game between Booker, Carr, Zapala, Cooper and Kohler. Secure the boards, set solid screens and put hips-to-gut when blocking out to allow transition outlet passes. Let Fears, Jase and Aikns run the break and find their athletes and spot-up shooters out of the transition to wear down IU.

We will see if the “fat and sassy” quip prior to USC and UCLA trip, has resonated within the team. They certainly showed their metal and guts in the Oregon comeback. I don’t believe they’re looking ahead to Saturday and a monster rematch against Illinois in Champaign and fully expect them to be locked in and protect their 13-game home winning streak. With it being a quick turnaround from Saturday, the Spartans staff will be in their ear reminding them of the chip they’ve had and how they still need to prove it. It’s MSU vs. IU; the legend of Izzo to pass Coach Knight and where does IU go for their next head coach? Stay tuned Tuesday night at 9pm EST on Peacock.

Record/Rankings & More:

19-4 (10-2, T1st-Big Ten) Rankings: #11 AP / #11 Coaches Poll **Updated-time of writing is prior to 2/10 games**

Updated KenPom- Off: 26th / Def: 11th. Adjusted Tempo: 122nd. SOS Net Rtg: 47th (8.63)

Updated Bart Torvik- ADJOE: 31st/ADJDE: 11th / EFF.FGD%: 45.6 (16th) / ORBD %: 37.1 (13th) & DRBD %: 25.8 (22nd)

Other Metrics: KPI (18th), ESPN SoR (15th), ESPN BPI (17th), T-Rank: 16th — #5 in FT % (80.3%), #9 in FTM/game (18.7) and sit 16th with 5.2 bpg

FULL KenPom Stats: https://kenpom.com/index.php

FULL Bart Torvik Stats: https://barttorvik.com/#

FULL T-Rank Stats: https://www.warrennolan.com/basketball/2025/net-teamsheets-plus#google_vignette