Indiana went ugly early Sunday afternoon at the Breslin Center.

In the middle and at the end, too.

No. 12 IU came into the game just one-half game out of the lead in the Big Ten basketball standings. It left with a 103-74 loss to No. 19 Michigan State.

It was IU’s most lopsided loss since a 79-45 setback at Wisconsin in 2004. It was also the first time Indiana had surrendered 100 points since December 2003 at Wake Forest, and the most points allowed since a 112-64 loss at Michigan in 1998.

The Spartans posted a 48-point turnaround against the Hoosiers in a 15-day span. On Feb. 16, IU beat Michigan State 80-61 at Assembly Hall.

IU’s quest for at least a share of its first Big Ten title since 2002 isn’t over but it’s unlikely. The Hoosiers (24-5, 13-3 Big Ten) could grab a share if they win out and Wisconsin and Purdue lose one of their final two games. The Badgers close with a home game against Penn State and a game at Northwestern; the Boilermakers finish with games at Ohio State and Michigan.

“We have to win both of our games next week and then just hope for other teams to slip up,” said IU senior forward D.J. White. “This one hurts because now we have to count on someone else to help us out. This one is really disappointing.”

Raymar Morgan, who scored three points against IU two weeks ago, had 20. Drew Neitzel, playing in his final home game, had 17, including five 3-pointers. Goran Suton added 17 for Michigan State.

IU, which came in with a 13-game losing streak at the Breslin Center, faced the Spartans on senior day. Michigan State (23-6, 11-5) hit 21 of its first 25 shots, a sizzling 84 percent.

Indiana did little right. It repeatedly had trouble in transition defense and the Spartans appeared to extend their pregame layup drill. The Spartans hit nine of their first 12 3-pointers in the first half and finished 13-of-24.

Indiana trailed by 32 points with 2:19 to play in the first half. The Spartans led 59-31 at the break.

IU interim coach Dan Dakich said the transition defensive woes were difficult to understand. He said Michigan State is the best transition team in the Big Ten, and a big part of IU’s game plan was to get back. White said the Hoosiers talked about “getting back and finding a shooter,” but they seldom did.

“They beat us, they ran past us and that should never happen,” Dakich said. “When they shoot the ball the way they shot the ball, that’s one thing. But they should never run past us.

“That falls on me to have us ready to play.”

Michigan State shot 60.7 percent from the field, hitting 37-of-61 shots. No IU opponent had shot better than 50 percent in the first 28 games. Northwestern’s 49.1 percent last weekend was the previous best against the Hoosiers.

The Hoosiers got within 75-58 and had the ball with just over 10 minutes to play, but Eric Gordon turned it over on a drive to the basket. Gordon, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, had 22 points in 36 minutes.

“This is one of those games that is hard to explain,” Gordon said. “We were playing for so much and yet we played like that on national television. We just have to find a way to bounce back.”

White, who was limited to two points on 1-of-7 shooting in the first half, finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. It was his 18th double-double of the season. Armon Bassett had 13 points and six assists.