Oh, the difference a week makes.
Following a 104-76 blowout loss to Auburn University on Dec. 9, Indiana men’s basketball head coach Mike Woodson knew he was going to learn about his team by the way they responded.
Fast forward to Saturday, when the Hoosiers led the No. 2-ranked University of Kansas for over 35 minutes in front of a sold-out Assembly Hall but ultimately suffered a 75-71 defeat.
Indiana (7-3) led by as many as 13 points with 15 minutes to play. Kansas (10-1) shot 65% from the floor thereafter and proved why its viewed as one of America’s best teams – but the Hoosiers were right there until the final buzzer.
“It hurts and stings, but there's a lot of good things to take away from it, too,” senior guard Trey Galloway said postgame.
Like they did against Auburn, the Hoosiers took command early, storming out to an 8-2 lead and forcing a timeout from Kansas head coach Bill Self after just 2:35 of game action.
But unlike the week before, when Auburn went on a 42-12 run to close the first half after facing an early 12-point deficit, Indiana kept its foot on the gas. Kansas didn’t take its first lead until there were less than five minutes left.
Still, it wasn’t good enough – Indiana needed a stellar 40-minute showing and simply ran out of gas at the end. Woodson noted fatigue as a factor, with Galloway, sophomore center Kel’el Ware and freshman guard Gabe Cupps each playing at least 37 minutes.
Woodson said the Hoosiers’ defensive intensity faded down the stretch, but his team never caved, and will leave Saturday with a much better foundation to build on moving forward.
“As a coach, I'm going to always have confidence in my team,” Woodson said. “We just had to go back to work. We put a good week of work in. We kind of put the Auburn game behind us because nobody wants to sit through that, but we did. I thought we rebounded tonight.”
Led by Galloway’s career-high 28 points, Indiana mustered a strong offensive showing, as its 71 points marked the third-most Kansas has allowed this year. The Hoosiers matched a season-high with six 3-pointers and outrebounded the Jayhawks, 38-36.
But Indiana also had 14 turnovers to just 10 assists and shot only 33% from the field in the second half, which ultimately led to a loss that could prove critical moving forward.
Nonetheless, the Hoosiers made big strides in a short amount of time.
“I’d say just our competitiveness,” Galloway said, discussing the change in performance between Auburn and Kansas. “I mean, we got out-toughed against Auburn, and it showed in the second half, late in the first half. I think we took the right step forward.”
The Hoosiers have three more nonconference games – Morehead State University, the University of North Alabama and Kennesaw State University – before starting Big Ten play Jan. 3 against Nebraska.
Indiana’s now finished its slate of marquee out-of-conference contests, going 0-3 against Kansas, Auburn and the University of Connecticut. The Hoosiers’ lone win over a non-Big Ten Power 5 foe came Nov. 20 over the University of Louisville, which holds a 4-6 record.
As such, Indiana’s nonconference resume leaves plenty to be desired, albeit void of losses to notably inferior opponents.
The Hoosiers have hopes of making a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, a goal that certainly feels achievable after giving Kansas a fight all the way to the buzzer.
But come March Madness, when résumés are put under a microscope, Indiana’s lack of signature nonconference wins could prove significant, be it in seeding, location of games or even whether it’s on the right side of the cutline.
For now, that’s a problem for another day.
Woodson and the Hoosiers will turn their focus to Morehead State, which enters Assembly Hall on Tuesday night for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff.
The contest provides another opportunity for Indiana to continue evolving. With 10 new faces, the Hoosiers are still learning how to play with each other, Galloway noted.
Between Cupps and forward Mackenzie Mgbako, Indiana is’s starting two freshmen. A pair of other starters – Ware and forward Malik Reneau – are sophomores.
Indiana is young but improving. Growing pains are a certainty, and the Hoosiers went through more with Saturday’s second half collapse – but their response to the Auburn loss shows progress is being made, and the stage has been set for a breakthrough in Big Ten play.
“We got fight. I know we got guys that are willing to compete,” Galloway said. “We're only going to get better from here on out. I'm proud of my team.”
Follow reporters Will Foley (@foles24) and Matt Press (@MattPress23) and columnist Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
