Indiana basketball shuts the Sparty down & more takeaways against Michigan State

#3. Malik Reneau & Tamar Bates are stepping into their roles in a big way

The freshman forward from Montverde Academy has finally found his place in the rotation and looks to be playing with a lot more confidence out on the floor than what we saw from him since December.

Reneau posted six points, five rebounds, an assist, and five personal fouls in 21 minutes off the bench for Mike Woodson. Over his last five games, Reneau is averaging 6.4 points on 56.0 percent shooting from the field, and 4.4 rebounds in 16.8 minutes of action per game.

Tamar Bates on the other hand found his stroke in Sunday’s contest. After two scoreless games against Illinois and Wisconsin, Bates came off the bench and shot 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and added a steal with 17 points in 27 minutes against the Spartans and was nearly knocking down every shot from deep.

Shooting a career-best 42.0 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 1.5 made three-pointers per game, Tamar Bates has become the knockdown shooter that the Hoosiers have needed for many seasons and he’s gaining more and more confidence as he continues to grow up before our very eyes.