DETROIT - If Michigan State wants to avoid an 0-2 start in the Big Ten wars, its going to need to get more of an inside presence from its 'bigs' today at 4:00pm EST against the Indiana Hoosiers.
MSU's big men - forwards Goran Suton and Marquise Gray along with centers Drew Naymick and Idongesit Ibok, were wholly uneffective against a more active and agressive group of Iowa Hawkeyes.
Adding to MSU woes was their failure to set effective screens to unleash point guard Drew Neitzel who struggled to his 20 point performance on 5-of-16 shooting.
Coach Tom Izzo skewered his team in the post game press conference, calling on sub Maurice Joseph's effort as up to par. Joseph looked like a different player for the Spartans after coming off a foot injury. While he scored just nine points, he looked like a player who had learned to create his own shot. Look for Joseph role to increase if MSU's big men don't step up.
As an added bonus, MSU expects to have forward Raymar Morgan, arguably their best player, back into the lineup this afternoon. Morgan was diagnosed with what could have developed into a stress fracture and has missed nearly four weeks of the season.
MSU will be facing a tough opponent in the Hoosiers who gave #6 Ohio State a run for its money before succumbing down the stretch in a 74-67 loss to the Buckeyes. IU will ride its freshman tandem of Joey Shaw - who led the Hoosiers with 16 points in the loss - and Armon Bassett who chipped in with 13. They team with junior forward D.J. White to give the Hoosiers a potent scoring threat.
This is the 103rd meeting of these two teams and IU holds a 62-41 edge over the Spartans, but it is the first Big Ten meeting between two of the nation's best coaches, Izzo for MSU and new IU head coach Kelvin Sampson.
One of these two teams is going to fall into the Big Ten basement at 0-2, but don't look for the loser to be down long.