By the numbers, Indiana men’s basketball’s 85-60 defeat to Iowa was its second largest loss in the 2024-25 season. The first came back in November, when the Hoosiers fell 89-61 to the University of Louisville in the Bahamas in their fifth game of the season.
But Saturday night inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Indiana’s defeat was its worst of the season.
Riding a five-game winning streak, Indiana entered the contest with a level of confidence it hadn’t reached all season. With 11 straight Quad 1 games, successfully starting off the brutal stretch against Iowa wasn’t a necessity, but it was certainly the aim.
So, when Indiana faced an early 21-8 deficit, the possibility of a second Quad 1 victory in three games was bleak.
And yet, the Hoosiers rallied. Riding a 13-0 run over nearly four minutes, a lineup primarily consisting of its bench granted Indiana a 26-23 lead. Regardless of the result, it appeared the contest would at least be competitive.
That was far from the truth.
Iowa took a halftime advantage of 43-33. Throughout the second half, Indiana never even came close to trimming the deficit, falling behind by as many as 30.
It’s not unlike Indiana to suffer a terrible defeat on the road in the Big Ten, but this one felt worse than most. Despite playing on a neutral court, the Quad 1 77-71 victory over Penn State signaled a new era for head coach Mike Woodson’s squad, one where the Hoosiers won the Big Ten road contests.
Considering Indiana’s 85-68 defeat at Nebraska, the Penn State victory was that much more impressive — it had learned how to win on the road in the Big Ten.
Until it didn’t.
“Our last road game was with Penn State, and I thought we competed from the very beginning to the end,” Woodson said postgame. “Tonight, we looked totally different. We can’t have games like that when we get out on the road. We got to consistently put yourself in position where you’ve got a shot in winning a basketball game and we didn’t give ourselves a chance tonight.”
Woodson singled out his team’s turnovers, rebounding and shot-making postgame, noting they failed in those three areas. To fail in one of those areas is tough but manageable — to fail in all three is devastating.
The turnovers began from the jump, with Indiana committing five before the under-16 media timeout. Sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo, who entered Saturday averaging 21.7 points and 11.3 rebounds over his past three games, accounted for three of those on consecutive possessions.
“Ballo’s been playing pretty well for us,” Woodson said. “Tonight, he was doing things he hadn’t been doing in this five-game stretch.”
Once the final whistle blew, Indiana’s turnover total reached 16, while Iowa managed 11 steals to go with its 6 blocks.
Similarly, the Hawkeyes outrebounded the Hoosiers 37-31. Their clips of 54.2% from the field and 50% from 3-point range destroyed Indiana’s 40.7% and 32.4% comparatively.
Whether it was the disastrous start, the hostile environment or any other of the multitude of reasons, Iowa outclassed Indiana. And, as has become too commonplace for Woodson, he emphasized how his team has “got to be better.”
Lucky for the Hoosier faithful, Indiana has proven it can.
The team that won three straight games in the Big Ten didn’t disappear. It’s a team that can compete against any in the conference, and as the Hoosiers continue to progress through their treacherous stretch of Quad 1 games, they need that team to emerge more than once.
Tuesday is the next challenge, with No. 13 Illinois traveling to Bloomington. Then comes away trips to Ohio State and Northwestern followed by a home contest against Maryland.
This stretch is one where past Indiana teams might have crumbled. This squad has a chance to differentiate from those teams and pave a new path in Woodson’s fourth year in charge.
But after the Iowa defeat, there is still a way to go.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa) and columnist Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer (@mateo_frohwer) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
