“That was a ball game, folks”
In the words of the Fox broadcast team signing off on the game, “that was a ball game, folks.”
The line was delivered with enough inflection to convey that it was an interesting or exceptional game, but, in reality, it was mostly a stinker. Both teams shot well below their season averages from two and three-point range, refusing to claim a win after 40 minutes.
The overtime period was just an extension of the halves that proceeded it – chaotic and ugly for the most part, but not for a lack of effort. Players on both teams were selling out for rebounds and loose balls, only to turn it over in an attempt to create a fast break.
45 minutes later, Indiana has its second Quad 1 win of the season and potentially a spark of life that many didn’t think possible after the last two games.
Here’s Three Things we learned:
Luke Goode
Luke Goode first made headlines this week during the press conference after the Illinois game, telling fans not to “switch sides when we get this thing turned around.” He then called out Dan Dakich for sharing racist posts on Twitter that are frankly too heinous to describe here.
Goode walked the walk tonight, leading all scorers with a career-high 23 points, including the game-winner with just over a minute left in overtime.
Goode’s play tonight is the best proof that this team hasn’t quit on this season, or the head coach, just yet. They’ve haven’t turned things around fully, but Goode did everything he could to will Indiana out of the free fall it was in before this game and the Hoosiers emerged with a W.
It’s not nothing.
The Bench
Indiana’s bench was short tonight with just eight players clocking in (Bryson Tucker was out with an injury), but Mike Woodson got the most of it as both a motivational tool and a scoring boost in tonight’s win against the Buckeyes.
Anthony Leal started over Trey Galloway after the latter struggled with scoring and turnovers over the last few games. And Galloway had only earned his own starting spot back after Carlyle struggled to produce over his first six starts.
It wasn’t his best game of the season, but Galloway appeared to have received the message, shooting better from the field than he had in the previous two games and tallying six assists in 35 minutes.
More significant was Kanaan Carlyle’s performance tonight. Carlyle played a season-high 36 minutes, during which he scored 13 points, grabbed, four boards, and logged an assist without turning it over.
Regardless of who starts or comes off the bench, Indiana’s season depends on consistent production from Carlyle, Galloway, and Goode. Woodson’s ability to manage minutes and lineups between role players will be crucial to this team’s finish this year.
The Season
Indiana won a game that it wasn’t predicted to for the first time in longer than any of us would care to admit. Does that fix things? No.
I was encouraged to see the new lineup, but cannot, for the life of me, figure out why Leal got the nod over Carlyle. There is plenty of experience and shooting on the floor with Goode and Mackenzie Mgbako starting, but not a ton of playmaking, especially without Galloway.
Then there were the set plays. In the midst of blowing a 10-point second half lead, Indiana inbounded the ball right into the corner while Ohio State was pressing, making it easier for the Buckeyes to trap the Hoosier guards.
After calling a timeout to set up Indiana’s final possession of regulation, Woodson neglected to put in Myles Rice, his best guard, leading to a bad shot from Goode that gave Ohio State a chance to win before overtime.
There were ways that Indiana could have won this game convincingly, but I don’t know that was it. Whichever way you look at it, Indiana has eight more Quad 1 games in a row to prove itself.