[Postgame 3-2-1] What We Learned From Indiana's Senior Day Victory Win against Michigan State

Here are three key stats, two observations, and one lingering question from Indiana's 65-64 victory in Bloomington.

Just when we thought we were out, they pull us all back in.

Senior Days at Assembly Hall often seem to have wacky endings. Yesterday afternoon’s 65-64 victory over Michigan State was no different.

Indiana got off to a hot start to open the game and led by as many as 17 points in the first ten minutes, but Michigan State battled back and cut the lead down to just five at the halftime break.

“I was determined tonight to play the seniors because it was their night,” Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said postgame. “X and Leal were going to stay in there no matter what.”

On the back of a 30-point performance from Tyson Walker, the Spartans stormed back to lead by seven in the second half.

But Kel’el Ware and Indiana responded in a big way. The sophomore scored 19 points in the second half to take down Michigan State.

“I think this is a different team going down the stretch,” senior Xavier Johnson said postgame. “The old team of a couple games ago would've probably quit.”

With their fourth consecutive victory, Indiana finished 18-13 in the regular season and 10-10 in conference play. They earned the #6 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will play the winner of Michigan/Penn State on Thursday night in Minneapolis.

Now here are three key stats, two observations, and one lingering question from Indiana’s thrilling victory at The Hall.

3 Meaningful Stats

1. Indiana scored 1.030 points per possession in the first half.

Indiana fans were treated to a spectacular opening 15 minutes of the first half yesterday, with the Cream and Crimson scoring 30 points.

The offense was firing on all cylinders, but the Hoosiers’ suffocating defense forced Michigan State into taking tough shots late in the shot clock.

Then Indiana reverted to their February ways and turned the ball over on consecutive possessions.

Despite the lackluster play in the final minutes, Indiana shot 41.9% from the field and 4-10 from behind the arc.

Indiana has had a solid start to almost every game, but it hasn’t often continued past the first two media timeouts.

It is pivotal that IU gets off to a start like yesterday in Minneapolis next week. If they can limit the late half meltdowns and scoring droughts, there is very little that any team can do.

2. Hoosiers shot 42% from the charity stripe.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

If anything was going to prevent Indiana from a senior day victory, it would have been the free throw shooting.

During Indiana’s two-game road trip to Maryland and Minnesota, the Hoosiers shot a combined 19-24 (79.2%) from the charity stripe.

Yesterday, Indiana shot 5-12 from the same spot, which nearly cost them a victory.

Surprisingly, it appears that this year’s Indiana squad is better on the road from the free throw line than they are at home.

Luckily for the Hoosiers, barring an invitation to the NIT, they won’t have to shoot free throws at Assembly Hall again this year.

Indiana wants to make a run to the NCAA tournament, and they are more than capable of charging their way through the Big Ten Tournament, but it is pivotal that they shoot at least 70% from the charity stripe.

3. Indiana had 40 points in the paint.

The game plan for Mike Woodson’s ball club was to impose their will on the much smaller Spartans in the painted area.

That is precisely what happened.

Indiana out-muscled MSU down low, gaining a 40-22 advantage on points in the paint, and an upper hand on the glass, out-rebounding the Spartans 39-32.

Kel’el Ware muscled his way through defenders in the post, scoring 30 points on an efficient 13-19 shooting.

Malik Reneau added 16 points on a much less efficient 6-14 shooting from the field.

Since Mike Woodson arrived in Bloomington, Indiana’s identity on offense has been through the post. It is Woodson’s style and it has led the program to the NCAA tournament in his first two seasons.

2 Important Observations

1. Kel’el Ware is a lottery pick.

Although he is not a senior, there is little doubt that Kel’el Ware won’t play another regular season game at Assembly Hall.

After a dominant 28-point performance yesterday en route to the victory, Ware solidified himself as a first-round draft choice.

It shouldn’t stop there.

The transfer from Oregon is a lottery pick, and that is attributed to his development under Mike Woodson.

Ware collected his 14th double-double last night and has scored 25 or more points in three of the last four games.

“I got to give tribute to our coaching staff and how they work,” Woodson said. “We pushed him, and his teammates believe in him, and I believe in him. He's been phenomenal, been playing unbelievable, which is kind of nice to see.”

Ware’s dominance over the past two weeks has showcased his capabilities to score at all three levels.

Indiana’s success in Minneapolis will depend on Kel’el Ware. It will be intriguing to see if the big fella can step up when the lights are shining bright.

“It's always still more to prove,” Ware said. “I don't feel like I've proven myself just yet.”

2. Indiana is the most dangerous team heading into the Big Ten Tournament.

A little over two weeks ago, Indiana dropped their fourth-straight game with an 85-71 defeat to Penn State in State College.

At the time, there was zero talk about making noise in the Big Ten Tournament. The team was 14-13 (6-10 in conference). It was the lowest point of the Mike Woodson era at Indiana.

That all feels like a distant memory at this point.

It is hard to find a team playing as well as Indiana has in the past couple of weeks.

“We're playing as good as any team in the country right now based on the last four games,” Woodson exclaimed.

After two wins at home and on the road, Indiana earned itself a six seed and in return, have a potentially favorable draw in the Big Ten Tournament bracket — though it’s fair to note Indiana lost twice to both Penn State and Nebraska this season.

Mike Woodson wants everybody to pump the breaks first.

“We got to take it a game at a time, man.”

1 Lingering Question

Why not Indiana?

After taking in the sights and sounds of a thrilling Hoosier victory at Assembly Hall, I found myself thinking, “Why not Indiana?”

Why not Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament? According to Bart Torvik, they’re a top-25 team in the country since the turn of the calendar.

As mentioned, the road to Sunday in Minneapolis will be full of favorable matchups, so why not Indiana?

Indiana has won all four games since Xavier Johnson’s return and is playing with a new kind of moxie, so why not Indiana?

There is no margin for error for Indiana next weekend in Minneapolis. The Hoosiers, at the minimum, will have to make it to Sunday’s championship game. Twenty-one wins could do the trick of getting Indiana onto the fringes of NCAA Tournament consideration.

But if Indiana wants to ensure itself of a spot in March Madness, there is only one thing left to do: Win the whole thing.

Why not Indiana?

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Thanks for reading!

Make sure you vote in the postgame polls for Game Ball and Hoosier Hustle Award, and leave your takeaways on last night’s game.

We’ll talk to you again on Thursday after Indiana’s opening game in the Big Ten Tournament.

Go Hoosiers!

Josh Pos

Student Intern

The Assembly Call