Hoosier Daddy? #18 IU Dumps #5 MSU 70-55 In Historic Assembly Hall

Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN Entering Assembly Hall this afternoon I had a unique experience. A man dressed from head to toe in candy striper red and IU

Assembly Hall

Bloomington, IN

Entering Assembly Hall this afternoon I had a unique experience. A man dressed from head to toe in candy striper red and IU paraphernalia called me over. I walked in with Spartan Nation photographer Mark Boomgaard and Sport Magazine’s Jack Ebling.

The man politely informed us that, “I don’t mean no disrespect and I am not trying to be uncivil, but IU is gonna kick your ass by twenty.” Someone find that man and ask him to pick the lotto numbers.

The #5 ranked MSU Spartans came to Assembly Hall with the chance to win the Big Ten title outright. They failed. Getting thumped by the Indiana Hoosiers 70-55. Tom Izzo held nothing back after the game saying; “I thought the game was lost right off the bat.”

I can’t argue with him. His Spartans came out looking lethargic and lost just two minutes into the contest. Other then Draymond Green you couldn’t find one player that played well. 

Izzo said, “Keith had a struggle…I was disappointed with Keith because he has been playing better and he had three turnovers at critical times tonight,” and I agreed. The point guard at this level of play is too significant and he didn’t bring it.

Keith Appling disagreed with his coach and me about his struggles. I asked Appling about his poor play and he told me, “I don’t feel like I struggled.” That was telling of the evening.

Izzo went on to talk about his team (other than Green) saying, “We didn’t defend, we didn’t rebound and that’s been the staple of why we win. We didn’t play Spartan basketball. You have to play at a high level to win big games on the road.”

Draymond was a warrior. He dropped in 29 points in 36 minutes. He had two assists and two steals to go along with eight rebounds and six turnovers. Izzo said of his warrior, “Other than turnovers…(it was) a hell of a performance by a good player. Enough other guys didn’t step up. We tried to go to Draymond over and over.”

Green’s fellow captain Austin Thornton was disappointed with the loss, but was very complimentary of Draymond’s play. “That was a special performance…He played every bit as well as a player of the year should and I have an enormous amount of respect for him.”

I already knew what Draymond would say about his performance. When I asked if he could at least in some way appreciate it or enjoy it wasted no time to say, “No way. We lost. It isn’t about personal performance.” He wanted more from himself. Lamenting, “On this team I am the guy that this team goes to too score the ball.”

Indiana head coach Tom Crean had nothing but praise for MSU. “Michigan State has made such strides on offense since we first played them. That was a big part of our game tonight not letting that happen. Draymond looks at a double team and invites it because he is going to find a cutter. He is so good as a player.”

Crean’s kind words don’t change the facts. This was the third win over a top five team for IU this season. The first time they have done that since 1875-1976. They won the national title that year. This win broke the Hoosiers six game losing streak to the Spartans and is the first win in Bloomington over them since 2008. IU had five players score in double digits and out rebounded the Spartans. IU had 14-second chance points and held the Spartans scoreless on the offensive glass.  You get the hint.

In the end the Spartans had all the stars lined up against them. They have played five games in thirteen days and it showed. They looked tired after about two minutes into the game. They also ran into a buzz saw known as Assembly Hall. You have to go back over a decade to remember this place as rocking as it was tonight. You would have thought that they were the home to the Big Ten champs.

One thing the Spartan Nation should come away with it that this game doesn’t really matter if the Spartans dispose of the Buckeyes on Sunday. The other thing is that the Hoosier Nation has set the standard for what the Breslin needs to be like for that game. It wasn’t the students that made this place electric tonight it was the entire fan base.

Assembly Hall was once a feared place to play. It was a place that teams came to die. It lose that for the last several years, but this one thing I can promise you. The fire and zeal that once made this place a death trap is back. No longer is this building, this program and this team a pretender. They are back. They are contenders and they are legit. To look at how bad things were here prior to Crean, to where they are now is nothing short them amazing.

With this Spartan team having overachieved this year they are tired and rightfully so. They need the Spartan Nation to show up like the Hoosier Nation did tonight. One thing I have learned after many years of doing this is that I trust the fans and Izzo to have a magical game on Sunday.