Zone defense won Mike Woodson a NBA playoffs series. and Indiana’s upset of Michigan State

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EAST LANSING, Mich. — Desperate times call for desperate measures?

Indiana basketball relied on a zone defense they’ve rarely used for a prolonged period of time during the Mike Woodson era in a 71-67 upset win over No. 11 Michigan State on Tuesday night.

The Hoosiers (15-10; 6-8 Big Ten) settled into the defensive strategy midway through the first half to turn the tables against the Spartans at the Breslin Center after trailing by as many as 12 points. They took the lead right before halftime and maintained the advantage until the final buzzer.

It was a celebratory moment for an IU team that’s had a cloud hanging over it for much of the last month.

“They’ve had a tough go of it,” Woodson said. “I can’t let them quit, we just got to keep working and keep pushing each other and see where it leads us.”

Michigan State’s Jase Richardson takes off with the ball between Indiana’s defense during the first half on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

More: Indiana basketball puts Tom Izzo’s quest for Bob Knight’s Big Ten wins record on hold

Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson puts Hoosiers in the zone 

Last week, Woodson announced he was stepping down at the end of the season.

He’s tried to keep his focus on the court to help the Hoosiers reverse a slump — they came to East Lansing having lost five straight games and seven of their last eight — that’s made them a long shot to reach the NCAA Tournament.

They had also lost 11 in a row to ranked teams going back to the 2022-23 season.

Woodson huddled with his staff and they decided to spend the days leading up the game refining their 2-3 zone in hopes of slowing down a Michigan State team that likes to run, but struggles shooting the ball from 3-point range.

Indiana dabbled with the zone in the second half against Michigan. The other most recent example of the Hoosiers relying on a zone look was in a 74-66 win over Louisville in the 2023 Empire Classic.

It was reminiscent of the decision Woodson…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/zone-defense-won-mike-woodson-090605211.html

Author : The Herald-Times

Publish date : 2025-02-12 09:06:00

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