Just Short
It seemed like Indiana was heading towards worst-case scenario today with ten minutes to play, down 10 at home to Maryland. Another blowout loss and home boos seemed imminent.
And then something happened. Through sheer will power, Indiana clawed back into the game. Myles Rice got hot from 3-point range. Anthony Leal made the big plays he has a knack for. Malik Reneau found his scoring touch again.
All that and Indiana still came up short at the final buzzer. This time, it was by a single point instead of a blowout, but the result is the same.
Here are three things we learned:
The Team
Indiana had four scorers reach double digits today, shot 40% from 3-point range, and committed just seven turnovers against Maryland. There is clearly no lack of talent or ability.
While this team’s effort and cohesion have been doubted at points, today’s comeback and brief lead late in the game should put those narratives to bed. Five of the eight baskets Indiana scored during its second half run were assisted – these guys don’t hate each other.
At the end of the day, it’s unfortunate that this group hasn’t been put in a better situation to succeed. The talent is there and these guys are doing their best to make Indiana proud, the results just haven’t been there.
The Crowd
My biggest concern today was that Indiana would be playing in a hostile home environment, the last thing a struggling team needs.
Instead, Hoosier Nation showed up ready to embrace the best version of this team and Assembly Hall was as loud as engaged as it’s been all season. That’s the support these players deserve, and you could see how it fueled guys like Leal to find an extra gear.
Like the talent on the roster, the home crowd was ultimately not enough to get Indiana across the finish line. I have a hard time imagining a Mike Woodson-coached team being so well-received in that building again.
The Coaching
Indiana lost today because of the decisions that Mike Woodson made down the stretch. Plain and simple. Obviously the fact that Indiana was down 10 at home in the second half presents its own set of concerns, but let’s focus just on the last thirty seconds.
After Ja’Kobi Gillespie got down the court for an easy bucket (why wasn’t Indiana pressing a little more?) that cut the lead to two, everyone in the arena and watching at home knew a foul was coming. With 28 seconds on the clock, that was Maryland’s only path back into the game, especially once Indiana got the ball across center court.
In an ideal world, your super senior shooting guard would shoot better than 65% from the foul line, but we don’t live in an ideal world. The coach of this team should have gotten the ball to either of his elite free throw shooters, Luke Goode or Mackenzie Mgbako.
This is something Woodson has done in the past, especially with Mgbako. In a situation where defense didn’t matter, there was no reason for him not to be on the court. And yet he wasn’t.
Rodney Rice’s game-winning three was devastating after the comeback, but did not have to be. Indiana was only down one with ample time to draw up a set play for an easy bucket.
With his coaching tenure under more scrutiny than ever, Woodson reverted back to his worst offensive instincts – just dumping the ball inside. Indiana was lucky enough to retain possession after Derik Queen forced the ball out of Reneau’s hands, and somehow drew up something worse.
Oumar Ballo – one of the surest buckets on the team – came off in favor of 3-point shooting. Indiana was losing by one and inbounding from the baseline, a situation we’ve seen Woodson draw up so many creative plays for Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kel’el Ware.
Its worth discussing the sub patterns in more detail, because it led to confusion that influenced one of the worst game-ending shots I’ve ever seen. Leal, who had made Indiana’s biggest plays of the game so far, was also subbed off, and only appeared to learn that he was being subbed out at the last second.
This isn’t just my take:
Rice on what happened on the final play:
“We were trying a play. The substitutions got everyone confused a little bit. We’ve got to be better as players knowing that whoever’s on the court, we can get the play off no matter what.” #iubb
— IndianaHQ (@IndianaHQ) January 26, 2025
And so Indiana loses another game it needed to win. Woodson needed the win maybe more than any he’s ever needed, and made some of the worst decisions of his career down the stretch.
It is what it is at this point. That is where Indiana men’s basketball is at.