Indiana men’s basketball players approached the Big Ten Tournament with a collective confidence despite going 2-7 down the final stretch of the regular season. They believed in themselves, holding on to the idea that the four days worth of luggage they packed for the yearly weekend in Indianapolis — enough to last for the program’s potential second-ever conference title game appearance — wouldn’t go to waste.
The Hoosiers fell short of fulfilling that dream Friday afternoon, suffering a heartbreaking 80-77 loss to the No. 5-seed Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Indiana led for almost 34 minutes and kept up with Iowa’s high-powered offense, but couldn’t recover from a go-ahead 3-pointer from near half court by senior guard Jordan Bohannon with 1.1 seconds remaining.
Though conference glory eluded Indiana for another year, the team made a deeper run than many expected. First came a 17-point comeback win against No. 8-seed Michigan in the second round. Next, the Hoosiers upset No. 1-seed Illinois in the quarterfinal. In the end, they ultimately accomplished their main objective in head coach Mike Woodson’s first season: getting back to the NCAA Tournament.
“I'm so thrilled and happy with our ball club and the way we competed,” Woodson said. “We're battle tested. Our guys have always responded and we'll respond again after this (loss) tonight.”
The duo of junior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis and senior guard Xavier Johnson, who were at the center of the Hoosiers’ success in their previous tournament wins, were in sync from the beginning of Friday’s game. Largely to the crimson-filled arena’s pleasure, Johnson’s playmaking and vision built a 15-3 cushion for Indiana in the opening six minutes.
“I think he's comfortable now and maybe he wasn't too comfortable early on with me in his ear a lot,” Woodson said of Johnson. “I'm so happy for him, because he's caught more from me than anybody on the team and we're benefiting from it.”
Jackson-Davis was the recipient of Johnson’s four assists in that span. He scored 10 points in the paint during the opening run, quickly making himself comfortable on the same court he had poured in 24 and 21 points against Michigan and Illinois, respectively.
Iowa’s offense, which leads the Big Ten with 84 points per game, got off to an uncharacteristically slow shooting start. The Hawkeyes have been in an offensive groove in recent games but found no easy outs against the Hoosiers’ defense.
Despite their 1-10 start from the field, the Hawkeyes stuck around for the rest of the first half through star sophomore forward Keegan Murray’s dominant 32-point performance, with most of his damage coming from beyond the arc. He knocked down three 3-pointers during a 14-2 run by Iowa to tie the game at 17-17 and scored 15 of the team’s 32 first-half points.
Jackson-Davis, Johnson and senior forward Race Thompson accounted for 31 of the Hoosiers first-half points, which helped the team hang onto a slim 38-32 advantage at halftime.
The back-and-forth trend continued through the opening 10 minutes of the second half, with Indiana holding a 53-52 lead at the 9:55 mark. Jackson-Davis demanded the ball with more urgency in his post battle with sophomore forward Patrick McCaffery as time winded down, trying to push Indiana to the finish line with an improved finishing ability with his non-dominant right hand.
“I thought they were going to send more doubles, but they didn't,” Jackson-Davis said. “(Coach Woodson) thinks I'm the best player down low in the country and no one can stop me. I'm just using that confidence to our advantage.”
Jackson-Davis matched his second-best scoring total of the season with 31 points, his third-straight game of 20 or more points in the Big Ten Tournament. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Johnson kept his strong stretch of play going as well, scoring 20 points with a perfect 8-8 mark from the free-throw line and dishing out nine assists.
The familiar feeling of chants in the surrounding stands usually heard in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall pushed the Hoosiers onward in the closing stages.
The crowd felt as though Jackson-Davis’ breakaway dunk, courtesy of a steal by Johnson, that put Indiana ahead by 9 points with five minutes left would be enough to hold onto the win. The Hawkeyes had other plans, however, proving no lead is safe when their deep threats come together on the floor.
Iowa closed the game out on a 15-6 run in the final three-and-a-half minutes. Indiana’s defense was stretched to its breaking point as Iowa found open shooters in its final possessions to send Indiana packing before the fourth day could come.
Despite the loss, Indiana all but locked its place into March Madness, and will now await the Selection Sunday show on CBS at 6 p.m. Sunday, which will determine what role the team will play in the NCAA Tournament.
“I don't think anyone wants to see us right now,” Jackson-Davis said. “(The loss) stings, but at the same time I feel like we've got a lot of ball left.”
