At halftime on Saturday afternoon, Indiana trotted into the locker room with a four-point lead. They hadn’t played exceptionally well. But they hadn’t played badly, either. There was no slow start.
In fact, the Hoosiers jumped out to a 19-6 lead by midway through the first half. Michigan State looked exactly like the underperforming team they had been all season. They gave the ball away left and right, committing 10 first-half turnovers.
Indiana’s halftime lead was as much a product of Michigan State’s horrendous play as it was the Hoosiers’ own production. Still, Indiana was in a solid position at the break with a 30-26 lead.