Indiana is on the verge of picking up a much-needed win vs. Michigan State.

The Hoosiers lead 30-26 at halftime over the 10-9 Spartans. A win would push Indiana above .500 in conference play with just four games left on the regular season schedule.

Trayce Jackson-Davis led the way for Indiana, scoring 14 points on eight shots. He also has a game-high five rebounds.

Michigan State actually shot a much better percentage in the first half, making 41.4 percent of its shots. Indiana settled at 33.3 percent.

However, the Spartans failed to attempt a free throw in the first half, which turned out to be the difference. The Hoosiers were eight-of-nine from the charity stripe. Both teams made two 3-pointers.

The other differentiating factor was turnovers. Michigan State turned it over 10 times while IU gave it up only four times. That translated into an 11-0 points off turnovers advantage for Indiana.

Despite Indiana’s seemingly-mediocre record of 12-9, the Hoosiers seem like a good bet to make the NCAA Tournament if they continue to take care of business in games like this. They entered this game ranked No. 28 in the country according to KenPom, which is well within the range of earning an at-large bid.

On the other side, Michigan State is in desperate need of a winning streak. The Spartans are still reeling from a lengthy COVID-19-related pause and are running out of time to improve their NCAA Tournament résumé.