GAME NOTES: A pair of teams coming off different results in their respective Big Ten Conference openers get together on Monday evening, as the Indiana Hoosiers pay a visit to the Michigan State Spartans.

Indiana claimed a 70-65 win at Nebraska on New Year's Eve in what was the league lid lifter for both clubs, and it was a solid bounce-back effort for the Hoosiers who dropped a 91-87 decision in overtime to Georgetown in New York City four days earlier. IU, which also has losses to Eastern Washington and Louisville on its resume', has won four of its last five overall, and this bout represents only its second true road game of the season.

Michigan State also tipped off its league ledger last week, but it fell at home to Big Ten newcomer Maryland, 68-66, in double-overtime. The Spartans have been something of a disappointment through the first nearly two months of the campaign, logging a 9-5 overall record, which already includes a pair of home losses. This game wraps up the team's current seven-game homestand.

Indiana owns a 67-50 lead in the all-time series with Michigan State, but the Spartans won both meetings last season, and have claimed victory in eight of the last 11 overall. MSU is 19-1 versus the Hoosiers at the Breslin Center.

Robert Johnson scored 14 points, Troy Williams had 13 and Hanner Mosquera- Perea recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, all which was needed to help push Indiana past Nebraska last week. Each of the three shot better than 50 percent from the field, but the team as a whole went 27-of-60 (.450), missing the mark on 17 of its 24 3-point attempts in the process. The Hoosiers were also deficient at the foul line (9-of-17), but logged a massive 44-31 edge on the glass, while holding the Cornhuskers to 39 percent field goal efficiency. Yogi Ferrell dished out eight of IU's 13 assists in the game.

James Blackmon, Jr. (17.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Ferrell (16.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5.0 apg) and Williams (13.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg) are all averaging double figures for the Hoosiers, who light up the scoreboard for 85.2 ppg (tops in the Big Ten and among the best in the nation). The team is hitting 49.6 percent of its total shots, which includes a 40.8 percent effort from beyond the arc, and it converts its free throws at a 71.3 percent clip. Conversely, the opposition is netting 71.6 ppg, despite a sub-standard 59.7 percent showing at the charity stripe. Indiana is +4.9 in rebounding differential.

Michigan State was locked in a defensive struggle with visiting Maryland last week, as both teams shot roughly 33 percent from the field in what turned out to be a narrow victory for the Terrapins in two extra sessions. Despite scoring 26 points, Travis Trice went just 7-of-22 from the floor, taking twice as many shots as his closest teammate, Branden Dawson, who nearly logged a double-double in tallying nine points and 11 rebounds. Trice also dished out six assists, and deficits in both rebounding (52-36) and points at the foul line (26-19) also played an integral role in the negative outcome.

Trice is producing 13.6 points and 5.9 assists per outing, as one of four players averaging double digits in the scoring column for Michigan State. The others net between 10.1 and 13.7 ppg, demonstrating the kind of balance coaches typically dream of having. Dawson (10.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg) has been a solid contributor for the Spartans, who put up 74.4 ppg while permitting 60.8 ppg. MSU is knocking down 40.5 percent of its long-range launches, while securing a +7.4 rebounding margin and holding the enemy to just 37.5 percent field goal accuracy, which includes a 27.9 percent showing from 3-point land.

The Spartans are probably better than they've shown this season, but they can't seem to find a rhythm right now, thus opening the door for the Hoosiers to pick up a rare win at the Breslin Center.