Indiana improved to 13-6 overall and evened its Big Ten record at 4-4 with an 82-69 win against Michigan State on Sunday at Assembly Hall.
Here are five takeaways from the victory:
Tamar Bates was the difference-maker off the bench
Tamar Bates was due for a big game. Since the beginning of January, he had fallen short of expectations and hadn’t been producing the way Indiana needed him to. His shot selection was questionable, and often unsuccessful.
Sunday afternoon, Bates found the energy he played with against Kennesaw State — the energy that earned him a starting spot in the next game — and increased it.