Indiana Basketball: Best games of 2019-20 – Hoosiers make it 3 straight against Spartans
By Adam Childs
The Indiana basketball team upset the Michigan State Spartans for the third straight time when they won in late January in Bloomington.
The Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball team has had its ups and downs in the last two seasons. More downs then most Hoosier fans would like to see, but one thing has remained constant. They win when they play the Michigan State Spartans.
In the 2018-19 season, the Hoosiers went through a huge slump when they lost 13 of 14 games, but their one win in that time was against the powerful Spartans. They would make it a season sweep a few weeks later, in two of the most unexpected wins for Indiana last year.
This year the Hoosiers were playing much better as they had won three of their past four coming into their game with the Spartans. Michigan State had been struggling some but was still a very good team and still had Cassius Winston running the show.
Indiana played great from the beginning as they jumped out to a 22-8 lead halfway through the first half. The Hoosiers defense was playing great in shutting down Winston and company. The Spartans though would cut the lead to just seven at halftime.
A three-minute scoring drought in the second half would allow the Spartans to take their first lead of the game and it looked like the Hoosiers had blown their chance to get a huge win. Indiana, though, would respond and hold Michigan State scoreless for the next three minutes to get back into the game.
The game then would go back and forth, but Joey Brunk, who led the Hoosiers with 14 points hit a big layup with a minute left and Jerome Hunter hit two big free throws to close the game out for Indiana. The Hoosiers pulled off their third straight win against the Spartans in a winning streak that has seemed very unlikely.
Indiana was able to “hold” Winston to 17 points on just 5-11 shooting. It was a great game for the Indiana defense in a game the Hoosiers desperately needed.
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The Spartans have been the best team in the Big Ten for the last several years, but the Hoosiers have continued to find ways to beat them. Outside of their game against Florida State, this game was the signature win for Indiana in their hopes to get a tournament bid.