Indiana basketball controls its destiny, so how will it respond?

  • Feb 3, 2025 10:36 am in

In the fourth year of IU head coach Mike Woodson’s tenure, it’s always been about “getting over the hump.” Following back-to-back missed opportunities to gain Quad 1 victories, the Hoosiers are climbing and nearing the summit.

So, which direction will they go?

Despite the results, which ultimately matter most, Indiana’s quality of play has dramatically improved in its past four games. It was near impossible to be any less impressive than its back-to-back 25-point losses to Iowa and Illinois, but the Hoosiers have played like a solid, respectable team lately.

In the back-and-forth rivalry game at Purdue, the Hoosiers played some of their best basketball yet couldn’t close it out due to an abundance of mistakes – their chance to steal a resume booster and gain momentum slipped away.

Indiana did a lot of things right against the Boilermakers. It limited Purdue’s 3-point capabilities while connecting on seven of its own, had several strong performances from players who have struggled and, most importantly, took every punch and swung right back.

However, the Hoosiers made too many mistakes to beat the No. 10 team in the country. In addition to 20 turnovers, IU shot 56.3 percent from the free-throw line and crumbled under pressure in the final 11 seconds, squandering a golden opportunity.

If that loss doesn’t sting the most for Hoosier fans, then Indiana’s previous result against Maryland certainly did. In a contest where, like the Purdue game, the Hoosiers overcame a second-half deficit to gain control down the stretch, it was a final-minute collapse that spelled IU’s demise.

“The good news is we’re in these games,” Trey Galloway said following the Purdue loss. “But we’ve got to finish. I think just making the right plays down the stretch is the difference.”

Indiana’s four-game stretch is conflicting, with mixed signals to be interpreted at one’s will.

On one hand, the Hoosiers have played arguably their most consistent basketball. Intensity, connectivity and good play have been consistent throughout most of the stretch.

That said, IU is 1-3 in its last four contests, the sole win coming from a gritty performance at Ohio State. The Hoosiers could have been 3-1 in this stint if not for a few seconds of crucial mistakes.

Indiana is now at a crossroads. This season’s hump can be conquered with the NCAA tournament still in the picture, but can the Hoosiers use their recent losses as lessons and make the right changes? Or will the missed opportunities squash all momentum and start a collapse?

By the end of the year, IU’s loss at Purdue could be viewed as the season’s benchmark. Indiana’s upcoming run of games now becomes its most important of the season; the question is how the team will respond.

Following the rivalry heartbreaker, senior center Oumar Ballo was visibly upset and let everyone know. After appearing to berate Myles Rice in the final huddle after Rice’s missed shot attempt to take the lead with seconds left, Ballo skipped the handshake line at the final buzzer, acknowledging Trey Kaufman-Renn before heading to the locker room.

Some would interpret it as the kind of fire and passion the Hoosiers have lacked all year, the kind that merits winning when appropriately moderated. Others may call it a sign of dysfunction and a foreshadowing of a collapse.

Only time will tell.

The road doesn’t get easier. If anything, it heats up even more.

Starting with a matchup Tuesday in the Kohl Center at Wisconsin, where the Hoosiers are seemingly cursed and searching for their first win at the venue since 1998, IU’s home match against Purdue on Feb. 23 will mark seven straight games against top 30 KenPom teams.

The harder the matchup, the more Indiana could gain from it, whether that be momentum or bolstering its resume. In the Big Ten, the only thing to expect is the unexpected.

In the eyes of many bracketologists, such as ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, the Hoosiers are outside the NCAA tournament, but a bid is still well within reach. As much noise as there has been around IU, not all hope is lost.

That being said, the hump still looms large.

Filed to: