Author: Evan Orris

After upsetting then-No. 4 Purdue on a Rob Phinisee game-winning three, the Hoosiers felt confident. Maybe too confident. They were set to play a struggling Michigan team with a 9-7 record on their home turf, an easy win on paper. However, in the Big Ten, there are no easy wins. The Wolverines ended up running the Hoosiers out of their own gym with an 80-62 win. But now, it’s time for the Hoosiers to seek vengeance. “Their record wasn’t very good. So we took them for granted, and they came in here and they spanked us,” said Trayce Jackson-Davis. “Just…

With their backs against the wall, Xavier Johnson did everything in his power to get the Hoosiers a much-needed win over rival Purdue. In the end, Indiana came up just short, 69-67 in West Lafayette. Johnson finished with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, five rebounds, and a career-high 12 assists to just two turnovers. With Indiana’s offense struggling, his play lit a fire under the rest of the team. “I saw some holes and I tried to exploit them a little bit and we were successful. X was getting downhill, was pulling-up with his shots, and was getting passes over…

Wednesday night was the third time in the last five games that the Hoosiers lost in heartbreaking fashion. Against Ohio State, the Hoosiers had a chance to win the game with under three minutes left in a two-score game. However, they went 1-for-11 in the final two minutes of regulation and overtime and lost that game. Many of those shots, including a wild Tamar Bates three-point attempt that would have cemented the game, were forced or late shot clock. While playing Wisconsin, the team had not one but two chances to tie up the game with a minute left. The…

Indiana’s bubble hopes have seemingly been popped in the most March way possible via a 66-63 loss to Rutgers. Down by three with twenty-seven seconds left, the game seemed over after Rob Phinisee missed a very contested layup. Then, the fiery Xavier Johnson committed an aggressive foul trying to get the ball back in front of the Scarlet Knights’ bench. It seemed that Rutgers was headed to the charity stripe to put away the game. But, amongst the madness was a flying fist from Paul Mulcahy that met the head of Johnson as the two were intertwined as they went…

After four abnormal years in Bloomington that included a season that was cut short due to a pandemic, Rob Phinisee has decided that he will forgo what would have been his senior night festivities. The point guard has not yet made a decision regarding his future, and he will wait until after the season to do so. It only makes sense considering the limitless options with the transfer portal and another year of eligibility due to Covid-19. However, right now, there is only one goal on his and the rest of the team’s mind: Getting into the NCAA Tournament. “I…

The Hoosiers played well for three-quarters of the game but saw a 27-point lead shrink to a five-point win over Minnesota. With eight minutes left, the Gophers caught fire. They went on a 24-6 run in six minutes with five three-pointers to cut the lead back down to seven. In the final eight minutes of the game, the Hoosiers were outscored 36-14. The Gophers–including Payton Willis who finished with 28 points– made tough shot after tough shot. With three seconds left, E.J Stephens hit a three with the very large hand of Trayce Jackson-Davis in his face. The lead was…

After drawing a foul, Race Thompson went to the line early in the first half on Thursday evening. His second free-throw rolled off the front rim and smacked against the backboard before grazing the front rim again. The ball seemed to be dropping into the hands of a Maryland player, however, as he always does, Jordan Geronimo attacked the glass. Amongst the three ball-watching Terrapins emerged the lengthy arms of Geronimo. The forward, unable to fully grasp the ball for a rebound, smacked the ball towards the ground. Everyone’s eyes focused on the ball as it hit the floor and…

The Hoosiers finally snapped their five-game losing streak with a 74-64 win over the Maryland Terrapins with the help of an almost picture-perfect game from Xavier Johnson. In the first half, Johnson set the tone by attacking off the pick-and-roll and firing off a floater in the lane. He did it once more, but this time found a cutting Trayce Jackson-Davis for the easy score. In just seven first-half minutes, Johnson scored four points with two assists and a turnover. However, his tenacious defense sent him to the bench with two fouls. He was not seen for the rest of…

Xavier Johnson’s senior season with IU has been a seesaw affair. Against Ohio State, the Hoosiers were forced to lean even more than normal on him as the lone available point guard on the roster due to injuries to Rob Phinisee, Khristian Lander, and Trey Galloway. They needed Johnson to lead the offense for all but six minutes of the game. But he could not make a positive impact to start things off in Columbus. Johnson was hurting Indiana more than he was helping them with five first-half turnovers. To make matters worse, he was shooting just 1-of-5 from the…

History repeats itself. On Tuesday, the Hoosiers blew a four-point lead with under four minutes to play against No. 13 Wisconsin. They followed it up by losing a four-point lead in the final two minutes and 47 seconds of the game against the No. 22 Ohio State Buckeyes. Then they would crumble in overtime and lose 80-69. “This was a winnable game, and we just didn’t make the plays again down the stretch,” head coach Mike Woodson said. Down by 10, Indiana seemed destined to get run out of the gym. But, then they went on a 14-2 run in…