Zach Osterman

zach.osterman@indystar.com

BLOOMINGTON -- This happened as we were rushing back from Indiana's locker room last night to hit deadline, so it came and went in a hurry. But it turns out Nigel Hayes' 31-point performance Tuesday in Madison wasn't his only ongoing battle with Indiana.

Speaking postgame about his game-high points total and what led to it, Hayes said he has "this mindset of, I'm the best player on the court, and nobody can guard me."

When a reporter followed up and said it appeared Hayes had shared that belief with his counterparts from Indiana postgame, Hayes said that he was directing words not at a player but at someone from IU's bench.

"It wasn't the direct opponent. It was a member of their staff," Hayes said. "It was playful, competitive banter between myself and that individual. It occurred throughout the whole game. There's nothing wrong with that.

"But we can call him the Madison Spike Lee, and usually when Spike Lee talks, bad things happen for his team."

Hoosiers still vexed by playing in Wisconsin

Fans from Indiana will be familiar with what Hayes meant by invoking Spike Lee, presumably a reference to Lee's ongoing verbal tiff with Reggie Miller during the 1995 Eastern Conference finals. Lee repeatedly engaged Miller in trash talk during the series, which proved to be one of the crowning moments of Miller's professional career, as he led the Pacers past the Knicks.

Hayes didn't specify which member of IU's bench his comments were directed to, but he appeared to have some dialogue with IU strength and conditioning coach Lyonel Anderson. In his first year with Indiana's men's basketball program, Anderson has been repeatedly praised by IU coach Tom Crean for his energy and enthusiasm, and Anderson has taken on an obviously vocal role on the Hoosiers' bench, and in huddles.

Whomever was the target of his barb, Hayes' performance certainly spoke volumes. The junior forward engaged in an entertaining battle with IU senior point guard Yogi Ferrell, who scored 30 points in Wisconsin's 82-79 overtime victory.

Postgame, Hayes admitted that Ferrell nearly drew a critical foul against him in the final seconds of regulation, after Hayes was switched onto Ferrell, who then drove to the basket for a potential winning shot.

"He did a step-back, I jumped, and luckily, he didn't go into me," Hayes said. "I tried my best to stay vertical, but he kind of gave us a break by not going into me and creating that contact."

Hayes also said postgame that he wanted to get aggressive with Indiana's defenders right away Tuesday. His 31 points and 22 free-throw attempts atoned for a modest 3-of-13 shooting performance in Wisconsin's one-point loss in Bloomington on Jan. 5.

"They wanted to play me physically. Maybe they thought that's something I would not like or would not respond to well," he said. "I tried to do my best to use that against them."

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.