The Minute After: Ohio State

Thoughts on a 66-60 win against Ohio State:

Gritty. Gutsy. Get ‘er done.

That was the formula for Indiana today inside Assembly Hall. The shooting was poor. The rhythm was disjointed. But the Hoosiers, when all looked lost, dug deep and pulled out a victory in a must-win setting on Senior Day. During the final stoppage of play, Mike Woodson embraced his assistants and some tears appeared to well up in his eyes.

Woody’s final game as head coach at home ends in victory, but it didn’t always look that way. Maybe it was a long trip home from the West Coast or the weight of the game – both in terms of tournament implications and emotions for the end of the line in more ways than one – but Indiana couldn’t buy a bucket. Well, you can credit Ohio State’s defense, too, which was stout at the rim and wasn’t allowing anything easy for the Hoosiers. Indiana started the half just 3-of-18 from the floor. The Hoosiers entered halftime scoring only .83 points per possession. The shots weren’t falling from the outside either (1-of-9 from deep). Indiana made just 31 percent from the field in the first half.

But the Hoosiers made up for it in other areas. They rebounded 42 percent of their misses, which resulted in eight second-chance points. They also outscored the Buckeyes 6-1 at the line. It was enough to keep them in striking distance at halftime, 29-25.

Pardon the phrase, but as the second half wore along, it felt like Indiana wasn’t going to get over the hump in this one. A Devin Royal 3-pointer put Ohio State up 10 points (46-36) with 12:12 to go. But Indiana just kept at it. Anthony Leal did Anthony Leal things, playing great defense, drawing fouls in crafty ways, mucking things up and giving the Hoosiers life. Malik Reneau started to get some buckets down low. Trey Galloway hit a 3-pointer, went to bench with four fouls with 8:55 to play, came back in and hit another 3-pointer and then another.

That third 3-pointer? It came from way downtown late in the shot clock, one of the most electric buckets of the season and one that was absolutely essential in today’s victory. It put Indiana up five with 1:24 to go (61-56). The Hoosiers also continued to get to the line for points down the stretch, hitting 23-of-31 (74.2 percent) for the game to the Buckeyes’ 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) mark.

Ohio State crumbled as the crowd roared, turning the ball over three times in the final 2:39 of the contest. Five was as close at the Buckeyes got after that third Galloway 3-pointer, ensuring the Hoosiers didn’t need to come from behind with any late-game execution this time around.

Indiana finished the Big Ten season at .500 (10-10) and ninth in the conference standings. Neither matches the projections or expectations for the program.

But hey, Woodson and the seniors get to go out on a high note. The win will likely also put the Hoosiers into the NCAA tournament field.

In a season that felt pretty joyless a few weeks ago, the vibe shift is one to keep riding for however long it lasts.

Category: The Minute After

Filed to: Ohio State Buckeyes