Indiana
Is Indiana Men’s Basketball Better Than Michigan State?
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This story is part of a series that will continue through October. Is Indiana better than each of its Big Ten opponents?
Nine categories were chosen. There will be no ties in individual categories. Think of it like you would the Supreme Court.
The categories: Point guard play, free throw shooting, inside scoring, perimeter shooting, rebounding, perimeter defense, rim protection, how much proven Power Five talent is on the roster, and intangibles.
The daily series will cover both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, and it will alternate between the teams.
Michigan State is next in the series. For much of Tom Izzo’s tenure, the Spartans have been the Big Ten gold standard, but Michigan State’s recent performance in the standings doesn’t lie.
The key season when taking the Spartans into consideration is 2020. It was the last time Michigan State won more than 11 Big Ten games, the last time the Spartans lost fewer than 10 games overall, and the last time the Spartans were included in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll.
The Spartans are coming off of a 20-15 season in 2024 – one which had high hopes going in as they were picked fourth in the preseason poll. Much of that core – Tyson Walker, Malik Hall, A.J. Hoggard – graduated or transferred.
Izzo famously avoids the transfer portal – one player was brought in for the upcoming season – so his development skills will need to be at their best as several players who got limited minutes in 2024 will take on greater roles in 2024.
Here’s how the battle between the Hoosiers and Spartans shakes out.
• Point guard play – Hoggard (5.2 apg) moved on to finish his college career at Vanderbilt. Sophomore Jeremy Fears Jr. got a taste of action in 2024, and there were promising signs before he missed all but two games of the Big Ten season after he was shot in Joliet, Ill., while on his holiday break.
Fears played 15.3 minutes before his absence, but still managed to average 3.3 assists per game. In a very small sample size, Fears struggled from 3-point range and at the line, but he also displayed decent underlying advanced defensive statistics. Fears might be good, but Indiana has proven pieces in Myles Rice, Trey Galloway and Gabe Cupps. Edge: Indiana.
• Free throw shooting – Indiana struggles in proven quality in this department with only Mackenzie Mgbako (82.1%) and Rice (81.1%) having converted 70% or better in 2024. The Spartans have also struggled in this department. Guards Tre Holloman (80%) and Jaden Akins (73.9%) are the only returning Spartans who were above 70%, but Izzo’s one transfer – former Omaha forward Frankie Fidler – tips the Spartans over the top as he converted a stout 85.4% for the Mustangs. Edge: Michigan State.
• Inside scoring – How much faith one has in Michigan State depends on how much is placed on the shoulders of Indianapolis native Xavier Booker. Izzo brought Booker (3.7 ppg) along very slowly in 2024. He never played more than 20 minutes in a game and didn’t play at all in eight contests. The 2023 McDonald’s All-American is undeniably gifted and should get a chance to shine in 2025. But Indiana has veterans in Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau so the Hoosiers have to be the pick here. Edge: Indiana.
• Perimeter shooting – The Spartans were a good 3-point shooting team in 2024, ranked 51st nationally with a 36.3% team average. Michigan State retained enough of that shooting to still be dangerous. Holloman (42.5%) and Akins (36.4%) are both back. Fidler also shot 35.6% at Omaha. Indiana isn’t too much worse off based on 2024 production. Illinois transfer Luke Goode (38.9%), Mgbako (32.7%) and Kanaan Carlyle (32%) can be productive, but they fall just short of the Spartans’ trio. Edge: Michigan State.
• Rebounding – In proven production, Ballo (10.1 rpg) and Reneau (6 rpg) have the edge over Michigan State’s post players. Fidler, a 6-7 forward, averaged 6.3 rebounds, but that was in the Summit League. Booker and center Carson Cooper – both 6-11 – should put up jazzier numbers with more playing time, but unlike Indiana’s duo they haven’t proven it yet. Edge: Indiana.
• Perimeter defense – In Big Ten games, Indiana held foes to 32.6% 3-point shooting, third-best in the conference. Michigan State ranked sixth at 35.2%. The Spartans led the Big Ten in steals in conference play, but much of that was produced by departed players. Both teams have some dependable defenders. Indiana hopes to force more turnovers with more athleticism in the backcourt in 2025. As long as Indiana maintains its 3-point defense, they should be solid here. Edge: Indiana.
• Defense at the rim – Minutes were limited for both, but Booker (7% block percentage) and Cooper (4.8% block percentage) have the underlying stats to support solid rim protection. Ballo (5% block percentage) does too, but Indiana’s other post defenders still have something to prove. Edge: Michigan State.
• Proven Power 5 ability on roster – The standard here is whether a player averaged 25 minutes or more at the Power Five level at their current or former school.
Michigan State’s loss of three starters and lack of any Power Five additions puts the Spartans at a big disadvantage here. Ballo, Carlyle, Galloway, Mgbako, Reneau and Rice all played big Power Five-level minutes in 2024. Edge: Indiana.
• Intangibles – Michigan State would seem to be in a vulnerable state with so many young players stepping into larger roles, but long-time Big Ten observers know to underestimate Izzo teams at your own peril. Even though Michigan State hasn’t performed at an elite level in the 2020s, Izzo still has enough credit in the bank to get the benefit of the doubt. Conversely, Indiana has had high expectations before and still has to prove beyond doubt that it can live up to it. Edge: Michigan State.
• Verdict – The Hoosiers take it 5-4. It feels like a turning point season for both programs. Izzo has to halt the so-so seasons of recent years and put Michigan State back near the top of the league. Woodson has to prove he can put Indiana back near the top after a second-place finish in 2023. It will be fascinating to see which program comes closest to its goal.
Previous Is Indiana Better Than Men’s Basketball Results
Oregon – Indiana 7-2.
Rutgers – Indiana 7-2.
Maryland – Indiana 6-3.
USC – Indiana 6-3.
Penn State – Indiana 5-4.
Minnesota – Indiana 6-3.
Michigan – Indiana 6-3.
UCLA – UCLA 5-4.
Ohio State – Indiana 7-2.
Iowa – Indiana 5-4.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says Bears need stadium site soon
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters at the NFL’s annual meeting that the Chicago Bears need resolution on a stadium site soon.
The saga of the Chicago Bears and their potential move to Indiana continues as Illinois lawmakers unveil amended legislation aimed at keeping the team in the state, Illinois Capital News reported.
Seemingly still a minor step in the right direction, the legislation is a prerequisite for the team to build a new domed stadium in suburban Arlington Heights. Here’s what happened in Illinois this week.
What does the amended bill mean for the Chicago Bears?
The Illinois House unveiled a new version of property tax legislation aimed at winning over lawmakers concerned about the move.
More specifically, the changes target worries about shifted property tax burdens to local residents and the team’s departure from Chicago’s Soldier Field, which still has nearly $500 in unpaid bonds.
While the original bill would allow the Bears or other “megaproject” developers to negotiate a payment in lieu of taxes, the amended version would contribute 50% of such payments to property tax relief. Of that amount, 60% would go to property tax rebates for homeowners residing in megaproject districts, while 40% would be deposited into the state’s existing property tax relief fund.
This incentive plan would end in five years, at which time lawmakers would revisit its effectiveness.
Will amended legislation pass in Illinois?
The legislation was discussed at length in the Illinois House Tuesday, but still has a far way to go before it makes its way to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk.
Illinois Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, the lead House negotiator on the megaprojects bill, said he plans to file the amended legislation with the intention of it being heard in committee on Wednesday. If it passes there, the full House could vote on the measure this week.
But importantly, it still must be approved by the Illinois Senate, which returns to Springfield on April 28. Only then would it be sent to Pritzker.
Is the measure likely to pass in Illinois?
Buckner appeared optimistic about the changes, while Pritzker’s office said they’re still “reviewing the draft amendment.”
Illinois Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, said the latest version is a step in the right direction, saying the “forthcoming amendment” addressed lawmakers’ concerns “in a really thoughtful way.”
What’s going on in Indiana?
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed a bill into law in February creating a northwest Indiana stadium authority that would be in charge of financing a new stadium for the Bears in Hammond.
As recently as April 16, Indiana lawmakers renegotiated the Indiana Toll Road lease to further appeal to the Chicago football team, according to the IndyStar. The new agreement would allow $700 million to be put toward infrastructure or transportation projects in seven Indiana counties near the proposed stadium site in exchange for more frequently increased toll prices on the Indiana Toll Road.
CONTRIBUTING: Kayla Dwyer, Indianapolis Star; Brenden Moore, Illinois Capital News
PLAINFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Suspects fled a Plainfield bank after it was robbed Tuesday afternoon, police say.
Plainfield Police Department was called at 2:10 p.m. Tuesday to the robbery of a bank in progress at Chase Bank, 807 Southfield Drive. That’s southwest of the intersection of Quaker Boulevard and Stafford Road/East County Road 450 South in the Hendricks County town.
Deputy Chief Ryan Salisbury of the Plainfield Police Department said detectives were working on the case.
The police department posted on social media on Tuesday night that no one was hurt in the robbery, and the suspects, who were not in custody, fled prior to the arrival of first responders.
INDIANAPOLIS — Sophie Cunningham wants to emphasize she’s perfectly happy with the Indiana Fever. She just wishes she could be locked down longer.
Cunningham, who signed a one-year, $665,000 deal with the Indiana Fever for 2026, said on her podcast, “Show Me Something,” on Tuesday night that she was frustrated with the free agency process in the condensed offseason.
She shook her head vehemently when her co-host West Wilson asked if the contract was better than she thought it would be, then said in part, “It’s tough because I came off an injury … I’m not even going to lie to you, that’s a little, kind of, frustrating.”
Fans on social media largely took that as she did not get interest from other teams, she didn’t want to return to the Fever, or she was unhappy with the salary she got.
She shut those thoughts down on social media Monday night, then expounded on her frustrations with local media at Fever training camp on Tuesday morning.
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“I think Twitter kind of blew up last night about a comment I made on my podcast. But that wasn’t what I meant at all,” Cunningham said. “I think if you listen to the full clip, you really understand that I just wanted to be somewhere for more than one year. I’m almost 30 years old. I want to have a home. I want to get established. And I would love to get established in a place like Indiana.”
The Fever prioritized as much financial flexibility as possible this offseason because of the new EPIC clause, which allows both Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark to renegotiate their fourth-year salaries up to the max with an extension. Boston’s salary was bumped to $1 million in 2025, and she will make the supermax from 2027-29. Clark is eligible to negotiate up to the max in 2027, and both Clark and Boston could be making the supermax starting in 2028.
Only Lexie Hull and Monique Billings got major multi-year deals with the Fever out of free agency. Hull signed for $765,000 in 2026 and $803,250 in 2027, per Her Hoop Stats, while Billings got $800,000 for both 2026 and 2027. Damiris Dantas is the only other player that got a multi-year deal out of free agency, but that was for the minimum cap hit of $277,500.
Kelsey Mitchell signed a one-year, $1.4 million supermax, Cunningham returned on a one-year deal, and Myisha Hines-Allen and Tyasha Harris each signed one-year deals.
Cunningham added that she got multi-year offers from other teams, but chose to stay with Indiana on a one-year deal.
She wanted to return to Indiana, she said, because of friendships she created with her teammates and the potential they showed, even after six separate season-ending injuries on the roster. She is also closer to her hometown of Columbia, Missouri.
“When you find a group of girls who really make you fall in love with basketball games and you enjoy it, you enjoy them, not only on the court, but off the court, like, you want to hold on to that,” Cunningham said. “ … it was never about the money, it was just about the years, because I wanted to be with them. And God forbid a girl loves her teammates, you know what I mean?”
Cunningham is also coming off a major knee injury after she tore her MCL in August 2025. She was ruled out for the rest of the 2025 season and got surgery in Indianapolis, then had a six-month rehab process before she was cleared in February.
Since then, she has been ramping back up as much as possible, including playing one-on-one, three-on-three, plyometrics, and everything she does to get ready for a regular season.
Still, she said, she’ll need to actually play to get back into full basketball shape.
“Basketball shape is just different,” Cunningham said. “You can run as many suicides as you want, you can get your butt kicked however you want, but until you’re out here playing, you’re never fully going to be in game shape until you’re playing games.”
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
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