EAST LANSING, Mich. -- One shot could change Adam Ballinger's season. Perhaps Michigan State's, too.

	Adam Ballinger celebrates after rediscovering his shooting touch at the perfect time.

"I'd like to think it will,'' Ballinger said, "but I don't want to blow it up too much. But hopefully it will give me a kick start.''

It's hard not to put too much emphasis on Ballinger's decisive 3-pointer Tuesday night, even with the defensive lapse by Indiana. George Leach was supposed to get out to challenge Ballinger but instead got crossed up and never made it out to the 3-point line.

Ballinger was left wide open and buried the 3-pointer that gave Michigan State a 59-54 lead with 39 seconds remaining in the Spartans' eventual 61-54 victory over the Hoosiers at the Breslin Center. Ballinger scored just five points in 14 minutes, but it was when he scored his final three that made all the difference.

Ballinger's 3-pointer was more than a designed play that worked -- it gave him back his lost confidence.

The Spartans didn't forget about him, but they couldn't rely on him to make the deep perimeter shot. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, one of the more loyal player-coaches in the business, couldn't afford to stay with his senior forward if he wasn't confident in himself, and Ballinger had just played a season-low five minutes in a loss to Michigan on Sunday.

"That was the hardest part, to give him minutes to even get his confidence back,'' Izzo said. "But we need him, we really need him.''

Ballinger's numbers were some of the most perplexing statistics in Michigan State's troubling 10-8 (2-4 Big Ten) start prior to Tuesday's win. Ballinger went from averaging 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds a game last season to 6.1 points and 3.7 rebounds this season. His shooting percentage had plummeted from 54.5 to 41.7.

The Spartans' staff was sure that more of a presence for Ballinger in the scoring and rebounding column could have prevented a few more losses. They weren't trying to put too much pressure on him but clearly they were counting on him to produce this season.

This team lacks a true point guard and has been riddled with injuries throughout the season. The first time the Spartans were able to practice as a complete team was Jan. 16, and on that day freshman Paul Davis hurt his ankle (he has since recovered).

Sure, the point guard issues, the lack of consistent production from Kelvin Torbert (prior to his key 12 points Tuesday), the nearly even assist-to-turnover ratio and the erratic rebounding were all contributing factors to the losses. But Ballinger's absence was the biggest mystery.

"It started out with a couple of bad games and then I just kept pressing and pressing,'' Ballinger said. "I got into a big hole and everything just spiraled.''

His lost season got so bad that Izzo and his staff called in all sorts of help for Ballinger. They had his parents come up from Bluffton, Ind. They had him talk to a psychologist. They thought watching video of him when he was playing well last season would do the trick.

"Everybody just kept talking to me,'' Ballinger said. "And what it did was really show how many people care about me.''

The final push might have come Tuesday from associate head coach Brian Gregory and former Spartans star Mateen Cleaves. Gregory told him Tuesday afternoon that he would make a difference against Indiana. Ballinger hit a 3-pointer to tie the game in the final minute against Indiana last season, a game the Spartans eventually won.

"I knew he would come through tonight,'' Gregory said.

And Cleaves?

"He just told me to keep shooting,'' said Ballinger, who was on the team two seasons with Cleaves. "He said if you miss then just go out and shoot the next one. He told me that I didn't look like I was having fun out there.''

How could anyone on Michigan State look too giddy? The Spartans kept finding ways to lose close games. They had been within four points in the final three minutes in all eight of their losses.

The Spartans have needed a senior leader, even if it wasn't a point guard to step up late in the game. Michigan State still lacked clock management late in the game with a costly shot-clock violation when they didn't pay attention to the time. Izzo got into the face of sophomore guard Chris Hill when he came to the bench to look at the clock. And that's why they needed senior leadership from Ballinger.

"And when he hits that it will spread the defense for us,'' said fellow senior Al Anagonye, who bear-hugged Ballinger after the 3-pointer when Indiana called a timeout. Ballinger got mobbed in the locker room after the game.

"I think everyone felt a huge relief,'' Ballinger said. "I know I did.''

Michigan State is far from in the clear, but this win helps. The schedule hasn't been too kind to the Spartans, who have played four of their first six Big Ten games on the road, losing all four. Michigan State lost at home to Toledo of the MAC, too, on Dec. 28, although Izzo said he was more torn up about losing to Iowa after the Spartans blew a one-point lead with two minutes left.

Michigan State still has wins at Kentucky and Virginia that will have shelf life throughout the season. The Spartans get a key non-conference home game against Syracuse Feb. 23 and finish with five of their final seven games overall at home.

Izzo isn't as concerned about making the Dance and could see the Spartans getting in like Georgia did with a 16-14 record two seasons ago if Michigan State were to barely get above .500. But that scenario remains unlikely if this team is healthy and plays with poise, especially on the road, and gets 3's from Ballinger.

Indiana should be fine, too.

The Hoosiers were hurting Tuesday, playing without A.J. Moye, who was battling an upper respiratory illness. Freshman guard Bracey Wright returned for the first time after missing five games with a back injury. But he was off with a 1-of-6 shooting game, which he blamed on cramps that kept him off the court for the final 3:40.

"What you saw was rust,'' Wright said. "I'm back. I just cramped up.''

Indiana's Tom Coverdale blamed the loss on a lack of execution late in the game but was pleased with the attitude and effort after the Hoosiers lost by 22 at Purdue on Saturday.

And both coaches agreed that if both teams are healthy, playing well and ultimately in the Dance, then they've still got a great chance to advance deep into March.

This was a start for both teams. Wright was back for Indiana, while Ballinger returned for Michigan State, not from injury, but from a lost season.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.