Senior forward Luke Goode approached a referee, who stood on the sideline opposite of Indiana men’s basketball’s bench. After a moment of hesitation, Goode outstretched his right arm and swiped it away in disapproval, summing up a game-long frustration the Hoosiers had with the multitude of foul calls.
A fiery Mike Woodson criticized officials following Indiana’s 73-64 loss to Oregon on Tuesday night inside Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
“We had our chances,” the fourth-year head coach said postgame. “But listen guys, in a physical game like this, it can’t be 21-7. You got to be kidding me. 21-7 on fucking free throws is bullshit. It just can’t be, not in a physical game. They’re a physical team, and it can’t be that lopsided. It’s impossible.”
Woodson’s tirade was instigated by the Ducks’ 17 attempts from the charity stripe during a back-and-forth second half. The Hoosiers had two such attempts in that span.
While Woodson’s feelings about the officiating disparity had merit, so did his opening statement: Indiana had its chances.
A win over Oregon would have likely given the Hoosiers breathing room in an ever-condensing bubble ahead of the NCAA Tournament. Instead, numerous missed opportunities prevented Indiana from earning a vital Quad 1 win on the road against the Big Ten newcomers in its penultimate regular season matchup.
Junior forward Malik Reneau was rewarded with one of the Hoosiers’ rare excursions to the free throw line after he was fouled with one second remaining in the first half. He missed the front end of a one-and-one and Indiana entered the half trailing 35-32. Reneau finished the game 0 for 3 from the charity stripe.
With just over 12 minutes left in the game, Oregon went into a full-court press. Reneau inbounded the ball to redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice, who proceeded to dribble into the corner, where he was trapped by a pair of defenders. With no help around, he threw the ball out of bounds, resulting in a turnover.
The Hoosiers struggled to close out defensive possessions throughout the game. The Ducks scored 23 second-chance points off 15 offensive rebounds — the most Indiana’s allowed since its blowout loss to Illinois on Jan. 14.
“We got to be better at rebounding the basketball,” Woodson said. “We got out-rebounded tonight. I thought that was a big difference as well.”
Arguably, the Hoosiers’ biggest missed opportunity came in the game’s closing minutes with a poor conclusion to an otherwise sound defensive possession. Indiana led 64-63 with less than two minutes remaining thanks to fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway’s catch and shoot 3-pointer.
On the ensuing possession, Oregon’s senior center Nate Biddle — a 31.9% 3-point shooter — held the ball at the top of the perimeter with the shot clock ticking under five seconds. Instead of forcing Bittle to chuck up a shot, the Hoosiers allowed him to find sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad — a 39.2% 3-point shooter — beyond the arc.
Shelstad stepped into a tough long-range shot from near the logo to give the Ducks the lead. While it was undoubtedly a difficult shot, Indiana shouldn't have allowed him to take it.
“We did not defend it well,” Woodson said. “I mean, make Bittle be the guy that beats you. Jackson has shown he can make shots and beat you, and he did. It was a big shot when we were up one.”
Shelstad’s 3-pointer was the start of a 10-0 run by Oregon to close out the game and solidify the Hoosiers’ defeat.
Letting valuable opportunities slip away has been a trend throughout Indiana’s 2024-25 campaign. The Hoosiers’ led in the final minute in back-to-back games against Maryland on Jan. 26 and Purdue on Jan. 31 — both teams currently ranked inside the AP Top 25 — but walked away with heartbreaking losses.
Indiana’s most recent collapse adds enormous NCAA Tournament implications to its regular season finale against Ohio State on Saturday. A loss would likely force the Cream and Crimson to make a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament, which they’ve historically struggled in, for their name to be called on Selection Sunday.
“These guys have been fighting, fighting and fighting,” Woodson said. “We have a break here or there; we wouldn't be having this conversation.”
The Hoosiers missed that break once again as their “fighting” didn’t translate to a win against Oregon. With the regular season ending, Indiana can’t afford to have any more chances slip through its hands.
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.
