3 Stats to Know Ahead of MSU’s Clash With Hoosiers
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Michigan State is one game away from sweeping its three-game Big Ten homestand.
The 12th-ranked Spartans have taken down USC and Northwestern at the Breslin Center, and now Indiana will travel to East Lansing on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, Peacock). MSU is 14-2 overall and 4-1 during Big Ten play. IU is 12-4 and 3-2, respectively.
Something potentially on Michigan State's mind is what happened last year. MSU only lost one game at home last season en route to the Big Ten title; it was against a Hoosiers squad that ended up missing the NCAA Tournament. Indiana moved on from head coach Mike Woodson and hired Darian DeVries this offseason.
Before the Spartans take the court against IU, here are three facts pertaining to Tuesday's matchup that fans should know:
Wilkerson's 27.4 PPG in Big Ten Play
The first player to know on Indiana is Lamar Wilkerson, who transferred in from Sam Houston State this past offseason.
Wilkerson hasn't seemed to experience any growing pains while jumping from Conference USA to the Big Ten. He averaged 20.5 points per game last year and is averaging 20.3 this year.
What stands out about Wilkerson is that he has actually been better during conference play. He's scored 137 points in five conference games, good for a 27.4-point average. Wilkerson just scored 32 during the Hoosiers' recent loss to No. 10 Nebraska on Saturday and also exploded for 44 points against Penn State on Dec. 9.
Wilkerson has largely done it with his deadly three-point shot. He takes more than eight long balls per game and has made 42.1% of them so far. His 56 made threes are the most in the entire Big Ten to this point.
53.3% From Three for Kohler
One of the most baffling stats from the season is Jaxon Kohler's 53.3% mark from beyond the arc. Kohler never made a three-pointer during his freshman and sophomore seasons. He began to shoot from long range once in a while last season, but Kohler from deep has become a staple of Michigan State's offense this season.
According to KenPom, Kohler has the eighth-best three-point percentage in the entire country among those with at least two three-point attempts per game and who play at least 40% of possible minutes. Only one of the seven players ahead of him, Milan Momcilovic of Iowa State, has taken more threes as well. In total, Kohler is 32-of-60 from deep during his senior year.
0-3 Quad 1 Record for Indiana
Indiana has not gotten a truly impressive win yet. The Hoosiers were up 16 against the Cornhuskers with a 97% chance to win, according to ESPN Analytics, but Nebraska finished the game Saturday on an extended 48-26 run to win by six.
Tuesday's game will be considered a "Quad 1" game for IU. Getting Q1 victories is a major building block for an NCAA Tournament resume, and it's something MSU has three of already (Kentucky, North Carolina, Iowa). Playing any team on the road that is ranked in the top 75 nationally in the NCAA's NET rankings classifies as a Q1 game, and Michigan State is ranked 14th, as of Sunday.
This will be considered to be a Quad 2 game for the Spartans. When playing a team at home, the opponent has to be top-30 for it to be a Q1 game. Indiana is currently 35th.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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