That sucked
The 2024-25 Indiana Hoosiers may have just played their last meaningful game of the season.
This was a group that felt like it had a double identity all season, alternately looking like one of the best or worst teams in the Big Ten. Often times, the team could switch between the two within the span of minutes.
That’s basically what happened today, with Indiana turning into the bad version of itself for a two minute stretch to close out the first half that gave Oregon a lead it never surrendered. Now Indiana’s fate is out of its hands.
Here are three things we learned:
Team Offense
Indiana had precisely one play that it could run consistently tonight – a pick and roll with a big and Trey Galloway – resulting in shots that ranged from decent to good for Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo, plus a lot of Gallo floaters.
Outside of that, there really wasn’t anything Indiana could rely on offensively. Myles Rice came in and defended well, but panicked with the ball in his hands to take some questionable midrange jumpers.
Mackenzie Mgbako appeared to have the midrange working early, but fell out of sync late and had to sit for stretches for foul trouble. Luke Goode went 0-5 from the field, and Anthony Leal went 0-2 from the free throw line.
At the end of the day, the lack of scoring options just made Indiana too easy to defend, especially with the officials allowing Nate Bittle to play as physically as he did inside.
“The Hump”
Time after time this year, Mike Woodson mentioned how he and his staff were struggling to get over “the hump” that kept them from winning close games or consistently playing to their potential.
For a second there, the hump appeared to be in the rearview, but for the second time in two weeks, Oregon brought the Hoosiers back to earth. Not even the home crowd or semi-home crowd in Indianapolis could will them over the hump today.
Indiana’s inability to finish was not for lack of effort. The team fought hard enough to make it a one possession game on multiple occasions in the second half, but just couldn’t tie it or regain the lead it had in the first half.
Call it “the hump”, a wall, mental block, whatever you want. It’s been a problem for Indiana all year and was a problem again today with the season on the line.
What Now?
Indiana was firmly a bubble team entering the second round of the Big Ten Tournament against Oregon. A win likely would have sealed it, and even a closer loss may have kept Indiana on the right side of the bubble.
But Indiana lost by 13 and will finish 4-13 in Quad One games, with just a handful of quality wins to show for it.
For reasons slightly beyond my comprehension, Oregon is a highly regarded team, so the Hoosiers might still be dancing come Selection Sunday. Whatever happens is largely out of their hands now though, and will probably require some favorable breaks.