Coming into Wednesday, IU had to win both of its remaining games at home to get into the NCAA Tournament with 20 wins. The Hoosiers passed the first test with a 72-67 win over the Golden Gophers, but not without some near misses.
IU must make its way through a minefield to close out the season. One misstep before the finish line Saturday against Wisconsin and IU’s season gets crumbles with nothing to show.
IU’s head coach Archie Miller was hunched over as he begged his team to shut down Minnesota’s relentless drives to the rim that plagued IU all night. While Miller’s yelling intensified while junior forward Joey Brunk over-hedged a ball screen allowing sophomore forward Daniel Oturu to score an uncontested layup.
Up only five points with the game on the line, IU played some of the team’s most inspired defense of the season. From 3:02 until the final 30 seconds, IU figured out how to shut down Minnesota’s offense for the first time all night.
The Hoosiers had a burst of energy swarming to the ball, forcing two turnovers and holding the Golden Gophers scoreless while the lead stretched to nine-points, giving the team the cushion needed to finish off the win.
IU’s performance caused unwelcome flashbacks of the team’s narrow win over Northwestern on Jan. 8, another bottom dwelling Big Ten team that came into Assembly Hall and nearly derailed the Hoosiers’ season.
For a team that hasn’t inspired confidence for the NCAA Selection Committee as of late, the Hoosiers once again toyed with their future. A home game against Minnesota should result in a resounding victory, but IU has made a habit out of not making things easy this season.
Even with all five starters scoring in double figures for the first time all season, the crowd inside Assembly Hall seemed uneasy. No matter what IU did, it just couldn’t shake Minnesota and create distance between the two teams.
The Hoosiers opened the second half on an 8-0 run, teetering on the brink of blowing the game open, but every time the stadium was ready to erupt the Golden Gophers clawed their way back to a one possession game. Each team landed haymakers, but neither could land the knockout punch throughout the second half.
Offensively, IU should feel great about its performance. In all three categories that Miller believes to be deciding factors in games — rebounding, turnovers and assists — the Hoosiers excelled, yet they only squeaked out a five-point victory over a sub .500 team.
Luckily for the Hoosiers, they have a strong resume with five quad-one wins and no quad-three or four losses this season. It’s no longer about impressing the selection committee with wins, it’s about not giving them a reason to pull IU out.
