FanHouse

Michigan State needed a big win today, and the Spartans got exactly that. A 103-74 win over Indiana showed just how much better the Spartans are with the home crowd behind them, and brought Indiana back down to earth after the Hoosiers had started going on a surprising run despite the mess their basketball program is becoming.

Indiana had won five straight games, including their first two under interim head coach Dan Dakich, who took over after Kelvin Sampson was pressured into resigning. But today's game represented the Hoosiers' worst performance of the season and by far their most lopsided loss.

Was it a one-game blip, a sign that Michigan State is on the ascension, a sign that Indiana has cracked under the pressure, or none of the above? Who knows?

What we do know is this: Wisconsin and Purdue are likely to share the Big Ten regular season title, Indiana and Michigan State will finish third and fourth, and barring a big surprise in the conference tournament, those will be the Big Ten's four March Madness bids.

In today's game, Raymar Morgan led the way for Michigan State, which improves to 23-6, 11-5 in the Big Ten. For Indiana, which falls to 24-5 and 13-3, Eric Gordon scored 22.