There were no more chants of “Hoosier Daddy.” No more gestures from the student section toward Purdue’s bench. No more mid-court calls for the fans to be louder.
After an emotional 73-58 upset over No. 13 Purdue on Sunday afternoon, Indiana men’s basketball players delivered one final reaction — mobbing Mike Woodson during his postgame television interview.
The Hoosiers rallied around their head coach, who announced Feb. 7 he’s stepping down at the end of the season. When Woodson finished his interview, his players again circled him.
In a season marked by close losses and an overarching failure to meet lofty preseason expectations, Indiana finally had its feel-good moment Sunday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
And Woodson, as he’s been through the highs and lows, was at the center of it.
“It means a lot,” Woodson said of his players’ postgame reaction. “It was special — I mean, any time your players rally around you. Because I do love them, and I'm sure they love me, as well.”
Fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway was one of the first to hug Woodson. In times of struggle, Galloway has always defended Woodson, and vice versa. They never broke apart.
Neither have the Hoosiers this season.
“We're a family, and we've been a family since we all got together in June,” Galloway said postgame. “And through highs and lows, you've got to find ways to continue to stick together.”
After the brief embrace, Woodson led his team toward the North basket. The Hoosiers huddled and took a picture around the red chair Woodson sat in during the game — the same chair late Hoosier head coach Bob Knight infamously threw across the court exactly 40 years ago.
Former Indiana tennis coach Scott Greer initially secured the chair the morning after Knight’s toss. When Greer passed away in July 2022, Woodson became the chair’s new owner. He’s stored it in his house ever since.
Woodson, who played under Knight from 1976-80, said he wasn’t going to throw the chair, but he wanted to sit in it. On Sunday, he did — which served as merely another special occurrence on a day full of them.
“It's always special when you beat Purdue,” Woodson said. “We had battles when I played here for Coach Knight. I've had a history and a lot of experience dealing with Purdue over the years. The games are always tough, regardless of how much talent each team has.”
Apart from a few sparse rows on both sides of the balcony, Assembly Hall was full and loud. With Indiana facing a 37-25 halftime deficit, Hoosier fans booed their team into the locker room.
It marked the fourth time in its past five home games Indiana has trailed by double digits at the half. The Hoosiers entered Sunday with four consecutive losses at home, and their last win in Assembly Hall was Jan. 8 against USC, when classes hadn’t yet resumed for the spring semester.
Sunday’s sizable deficit created a feeling of déjà vu — but Indiana played perhaps its best half of the season, putting all concerns to bed.
Chants of “Hoo-Hoo-Hoo, Hoosiers” rained down with just over 16 minutes left while Indiana started the second half on a 9-2 run. Seconds later, senior forward Luke Goode buried a 3-pointer in front of the Hoosiers’ bench. The noise grew louder.
The Hoosiers took the lead a minute and a half later after an and-one from Goode. They didn’t trail again.
After junior forward Malik Reneau, who scored his 1,000th career point Sunday, made an and-one layup to push the lead to 8 points, he flexed his arms. One fan in the student section gave the middle finger to Purdue’s bench. Another fan motioned for the team and its fans to sit down.
The Boilermakers’ afternoon didn’t get much better. With just over six minutes remaining in the second half, Purdue had only 8 points after halftime. Indiana, conversely, had 36.
Still, nervous energy floated around Assembly Hall. Four of the Hoosiers’ last five defeats were by 5 points or less — three came at home, and the other was Jan. 31 against Purdue in West Lafayette.
But Indiana didn’t fold. It threw the final dagger with three minutes left, when Purdue had trimmed its 16-point deficit to 10. But as sixth-year center Oumar Ballo threw down a dunk on a lob from Galloway, Purdue head coach Matt Painter turned and motioned his hands to the floor, as if waving the game away.
The Hoosiers led by double digits for the final 12 minutes, outscoring Purdue 48-21 in the second half while entirely avoiding the possibility for late-game woes to present themselves.
“We've been in a lot of close games over the last month and a half, and I just haven't been able to get them over the hump,” Woodson said. “And tonight, they refused to lose.”
Indiana also trailed 37-25 at halftime in its 20-point loss to Purdue on Feb. 10, 2024. The Hoosiers crumbled that night in West Lafayette, Indiana. They weren’t going to let history repeat itself Sunday — even though they had every reason.
Their coach is leaving at season’s end. They entered the day with eight losses in their past 10 games. Their home fans, as has become commonplace, booed them.
But Indiana isn’t playing for anybody else. The Hoosiers are playing for themselves, and fighting for the chance to reach the level they feel their talent provides.
“Even with what we've been going through and the tough losses, we still have a chance to compete and make the tournament,” Galloway said. “So, our focus is just rallying around each other and really sticking together through thick and thin.”
Indiana scored 19 points on Purdue’s 11 turnovers in the second half, and the Hoosiers outscored the Boilermakers 44-18 in the paint. Purdue’s leading scorers entering the game — junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn and junior guard Braden Smith — combined for only 17 points, 2 of which came after halftime. Indiana held Purdue to just .667 points per possession over the final 20 minutes.
The Hoosiers put only eight players on the floor, and five scored in double figures. Reneau and Galloway each had 15 points, while Ballo and redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice tallied 12 points apiece. Goode scored 11 points.
Indiana’s balanced scoring attack and strong defensive effort resulted in its largest win over Purdue since Feb. 16, 2013. It also reinvigorated the Hoosiers’ March Madness hopes and reinforced that Indiana, despite its rocky season and Woodson’s pending exit, won’t stop fighting.
“We're all playing for each other because we're all in it together,” Galloway said. “Obviously this is Coach's last year, and we want to make it special for him. We want to make it special for everyone. This team was assembled for a reason, and we have a chance to really keep competing down the stretch to win games and put ourselves in the right position.”
After the win, the mobbing and the picture with the chair, Woodson led his players into the locker room one more time on a memorable Sunday.
Now, it’s fair to wonder where — and how far — he’ll lead them in the weeks to come.
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.
