The boos rained down from the Hoosier faithful inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall as the buzzer sounded, ending a contest that featured an Indiana men’s basketball collapse of disastrous proportions.
It was not an unforeseen circumstance given the Hoosiers' performance against Maryland –– but it was certainly avoidable.
Up 4 with just 38 seconds left, with an electric crowd backing it, Indiana allowed a quick basket from Maryland junior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie. Then fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway, who entered the contest shooting 65.3% from the free throw line, missed the front end of his one-and-one.
On its next offensive possession, Maryland capitalized, with sophomore guard Rodney Rice drilling the 3-pointer attempt. And with the game on the line, Indiana failed to respond, dropping the game 79-78 to the Terrapins on Sunday afternoon in Bloomington.
Only two weeks ago, Indiana was destroyed at the hands of Illinois, losing 94-69 in what was one of head coach Mike Woodson’s worst losses in his four years at the helm.
Somehow, that wasn’t the worst loss of the two-week stretch.
It could have been a marquee win, bolstering its NCAA Tournament resume and providing a glimmer of hope for the remaining 10 Big Ten games still to play. Instead, it’s simply a bad loss that punctuates Indiana’s struggles with inconsistency that have plagued its season.
Beyond Galloway’s missed attempt down the stretch, the Hoosiers’ free throw shooting struggled mightily. They finished 9 for 15 from the line, their worst showing since Dec. 21 against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
It seemed everyone was culpable for the free throw woes. Senior forward Luke Goode and sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako went a combined 2 for 4 from the line, despite the players shooting 92.9% and 87% on free throws, respectively.
Some of those inconsistencies weren’t all terrible. Take Mgbako, who carried most of his momentum over from a 20-point performance against Northwestern following four straight games with a combined 16 points.
Against Maryland, Mgbako started hot, securing an early offensive rebound and converting it into 2 points. The simple act provided a spark for his offense, as he drilled a 3-pointer on the next possession and ultimately totaled 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
Conversely, Goode’s hot stretch finally cooled down. Following a three-game run in which he scored a combined 50 points, Goode only managed 8 points on 2-for-5 shooting from the field and 2 for 3 from beyond the arc.
Unlike most other instances, Goode’s down game has an obvious reason. For the first time in eight games, the Fort Wayne, Indiana, native began on the bench while junior forward Malik Reneau re-joined the starting lineup in only his second appearance since Jan. 2.
In a first half that ended with only 1 point separating the two teams, Goode’s impact was noticeable while Reneau, who dealt a lengthy spell on the bench due to foul trouble, appeared rusty. Starting the second half with a fresh start, Reneau's issues persisted, and with just under 15 minutes to go, he only had 2 points on 1-for-6 shooting.
But much like Mgbako, Reneau overcame his offensive struggles, finishing the game with 10 points and a couple of clutch baskets to keep Indiana in the game.
Ultimately, as clutch as the shots were, they didn’t matter.
“I don't like to lose at all,” Woodson said postgame. “I know those guys in the locker room, I love them to death, and they don't like losing.”
A win against Maryland could have been season-altering –– entering a stretch of four straight ranked matchups, a come from behind Quad 1 could have provided a much-needed lift to this Indiana squad.
Given its inconsistencies, however, the win may not have brought any momentum. Starting 4-1 in the conference didn’t help Indiana in its 25-point blowouts to Iowa and Illinois; a gutsy victory against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, didn’t help the Hoosiers against Northwestern, a team that was 2-5 in the conference.
Regardless, Indiana snatched a defeat from the jaws of victory, further cementing its place as a fringe NCAA Tournament team –– if that.
Continuing to progress through conference play, Indiana’s season is far from over, as fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal noted postgame.
“We're sitting at 5-5 in the Big Ten,” Leal said. “We've got 10 games left... If we're able to string some of those wins together, it changes everything. We still have 10 games to go, and we want to try to win all 10 of them.”
But as was said after losses to Northwestern, Illinois and Iowa, or defeats to Nebraska, Gonzaga University or the University of Louisville, there is still time. Only in this instance, the time is running out, and the competition isn’t getting easier.
So, with a trip to Mackey Arena to face No. 11 Purdue next on the docket, Indiana has another opportunity to prove it can turn around its season –– otherwise its inconsistency will turn into consistent disaster.
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.
