Michigan State forward Cameron Ward (3) reacts to a play against Indiana from the bench during the second half at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Preview: MSU's Game at Indiana

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Jacob Cotsonika | Last updated Mar 1, 2026 8:00 AM ET

The greatest month on the college basketball calendar has arrived.

It's March 1, and this is the time where every team in the sport wants to be playing their best basketball. No. 13 Michigan State (23-5 overall, 13-4 Big Ten) is entering the third month of 2026 with tons of momentum after upsetting No. 8 Purdue on Thursday.

Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Consistency has been a bit of an issue for the Spartans lately, though. Things do not come easily on the road in this conference, and things aren't getting much easier with MSU going into a game against Indiana (17-11, 8-9) on just two days of prep.

The Hoosiers, an NCAA Tournament bubble team on a three-game losing streak, might be playing for their season on Sunday. Michigan State wants to try to lock up a triple-bye in the Big Ten Tournament and keep moving in the direction of the 3 seed line in March Madness. Plenty is at stake here. Here is how you can watch this classic Big Ten matchup:

TV Info

Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Tip-Off: 3:45 p.m. ET

Channel: CBS

Announcers: Ian Eagle (play-by-play); Bill Raftery (analyst); Tracy Wolfson (sideline)

Radio Info - Spartan Media Network

Lansing: WMMQ (94.9 FM), WJIM (1240 AM)

Detroit: WJR (760 AM)

Grand Rapids: WBFX (101.3 FM)

Other radio stations from around the state of Michigan can be found RIGHT HERE.

SiriusXM: Channel 85 or on the SiriusXM app.

Announcers: Will Tieman (play-by-play); Matt Steigenga (color analyst); Zach Surdenik (host)

MSU and Indiana's First Meeting

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's the 29th game of the season for Michigan State, but Indiana is the first team that MSU will end up facing for a second time. The Spartans won the first meeting of the year, 81-60, in East Lansing back on Jan. 13, but that score does not necessarily reflect how close that game was for a large amount of time. The Hoosiers and Spartans were actually tied at 53-53 with a little more than 11 minutes to go in the game. It seemed like the game may come down to the final moments, but then Michigan State unleashed a massive 28-2 run that started with 19 unanswered points.

The pessimist may look at that and think MSU cannot rely on a run like that to win while playing on the road. Playing at Assembly Hall is no easy task, after all --- the Spartans have lost their last two games in Bloomington and are just 16-50 all-time on the road against the Hoosiers.

This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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