EAST LANSING, Mich. — Exhilaration. Senior forward Luke Goode pumped his fists in elation two steps in front of Indiana’s bench.
Satisfaction. Redshirt sophomore Myles Rice taunted the same crowd that jeered him and his teammates throughout a hard-fought win.
Relief. Fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal and sixth-year senior center Oumar Ballo stood at center court, locked in a firm embrace after putting a five-game losing streak to rest.
Those were the emotions expressed on the floor by Indiana men’s basketball after its 71-67 win over No. 11 Michigan State on Tuesday inside the Breslin Center.
It was the Hoosiers’ first victory since Jan. 17. Since then, the program announced head coach Mike Woodson’s decision to step down at the conclusion of the season and Indiana’s path to the NCAA Tournament became increasingly steeper.
“They know that I won’t be back and that’s tough on these guys,” Woodson said postgame. “It’s tough on me. But we still got a lot of season left. I just want these guys to believe.”
That’s what the Hoosiers did against the Spartans.
After trailing 20-8 midway through the first half, Indiana didn’t give up — it adjusted. The Hoosiers switched to a 2-3 zone, a stark contrast from their traditional man-to-man scheme. From that point on, Indiana controlled the game.
The Hoosiers only allowed 9 points for the remainder of the half and took a 32-29 lead into the locker room. They didn’t quit. They believed.
Junior forward Malik Reneau struggled in the first half, scoring just 3 points on 1-for-8 shooting. He scored 16 points in a second half that wrapped up his best performance since returning from an injury in a loss to Northwestern on Jan. 22. Reneau didn’t quit. He believed.
“They’ve had a tough go at it, but I can’t let ‘em quit, man,” Woodson said. “We’ve just got to keep working and keep pushing each other and see where it leads us.”
On Tuesday, that mindset led Indiana to just its third win in East Lansing since 1997.
It wasn’t necessarily pretty. Indiana led 61-52 with just over three minutes remaining but allowed Michigan State to close the deficit to 1 point with nine seconds left. The Hoosiers didn’t score from the field across the final three minutes of play. Regardless — when the clock showed zero — Indiana did enough to snap a costly trend of losing close games.
“We just haven’t been able to finish,” Woodson said. “The Purdue game was a game that we could’ve won. You know, Mayland at home, Northwestern on the road.”
The Hoosiers lost all the matchups he listed and their most recent matchup against Michigan by single digits. They led with less than a minute remaining against both the Boilermakers and Terrapins. If Indiana would’ve won those games, it would currently be 19-6 and well within the bubble for an NCAA Tournament berth. That’s hypothetical.
In reality, Indiana sits at 15-10 and is at risk of missing out on an at-large bid for the second straight season. It’s a scenario that would add an unceremonious end to Woodson’s four-year tenure at the program’s helm. However, a road win over a top 20 NET team is a step in the right direction in the Hoosiers’ steep climb to redeem their season.
“I want them to get into the tournament and experience it,” Woodson said. “I mean, that’s what it’s all about. It’s not just getting there; you want to get there and try to win a Big Ten Tournament and see where that leads you. I just got to keep pushing them, keep them positive, keep them up.”
Although Tuesday’s win will likely not be enough on its own to leapfrog ahead of other teams hovering the bubble, a grueling Big Ten schedule down the stretch will provide plenty more opportunities for resume boosts. Four of Indiana’s final six matchups will be against Quad 1 opponents.
No matter the opponent, the Hoosiers will need to continue believing that the season isn’t finished, a task that will likely fall on the shoulders of their coach. Improbable or not, it’s up to Woodson to convince his players to buy into the belief of making a run to the NCAA Tournament. If he does, his farewell season will have the potential to provide a fairytale ending.
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.
