Author: Seth Tow

In an Indiana men’s basketball season defined by fleeting positives and more frequent negatives, Saturday brought one of the lowest points yet. In fact, IU’s 85-71 loss to Penn State at Simon Skjodt Assembly may not be only the worst loss of its season so far; it’s one of the worst losses of Mike Woodson’s tenure as head coach. Penn State (11-11, 5-6 Big Ten) came to Bloomington with a losing record. Its program is in transition, after Micah Shrewsberry departed following last season and Mike Rhoades took over. Its roster is even more transfer-laden than Indiana’s. At this point,…

The 3-point lines on both ends of the court have been one of the biggest problems for Indiana this season. The Hoosiers have been one of the worst 3-point offenses in the country, and defending the arc on the other side has been a struggle in many games as well. The low point came during the loss at Illinois, when they went 0 for 9 from 3-point range and the Fighting Illini went 7 for 23. IU improved against Iowa — both teams attempted 22 threes, but the Hoosiers made eight while the Hawkeyes drilled six. And IU’s defense has…

After suffering injuries against Iowa, Malik Reneau and Xavier Johnson are uncertain to play against Penn State on Saturday. IU head coach Mike Woodson provided updates on the pair during a media availability over Zoom on Friday. He said Reneau is dealing with an ankle injury and Johnson has an elbow injury. “Right now, we’re still evaluating them. I’ll know more today when we get to practice,” Woodson said. “I spoke to Tim (Garl) this morning. At this point, I don’t really know. I don’t. It was X’s elbow and Malik’s ankle. They didn’t do anything yesterday, so we’ll see if…

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — As Maryland chipped away at Indiana women’s basketball’s large lead on Wednesday, the Hoosiers never looked panicked. Sure, IU gave away more turnovers and slipped defensively as the Terrapins clawed their way back into the game in the third quarter. And that led to some understandable frustration, at times, both on the court and on the sideline. But the Hoosiers never looked truly alarmed. They’re experienced, and they’ve been in similar situations before this season. Even with Sydney Parrish out, they didn’t lose their composure. They withstood Maryland’s third-quarter run and responded in the fourth quarter,…

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Going into Wednesday, Indiana women’s basketball was 0-6 against Maryland at Xfinity Center. But these are different teams, and it quickly became apparent that the streak was in jeopardy. The Hoosiers set the tone early and built up a huge lead by halftime. The Terps made a big comeback in the second half, but IU ultimately held on for an 87-73 win in College Park. This was also Indiana’s third straight win, overall, over Maryland, and IU’s fourth win in the last five meetings. Indiana (18-2, 9-1 Big Ten) opened the game on a 14-2 run. The…

When Kel’el Ware transferred to Indiana men’s basketball from Oregon, his biggest drawback wasn’t anything in his skill set. It was his intangibles. Reports questioned things like his toughness, his effort, and his work ethic. IU head coach Mike Woodson thought he could coach Ware up and get his career back on track, but knew it required complete buy-in from the sophomore. The 7-foot center has enjoyed a good season, overall, for the Hoosiers. He’s looked like an All-Big Ten player on occasion. But through the first three months of the season, Ware’s efforts to dispel those criticisms have been…

The longer Indiana stayed in a close battle against No. 10 Illinois on Saturday, the more it became a must-win. This contest wasn’t in must-win territory going in. Indiana badly needed this sort of result to go its way, but it entered Champaign as a 15-point underdog. It’s hard to call any game a true must-win if victory can’t reasonably be expected. But the Hoosiers led the Fighting Illini by seven points with 12:43 remaining at State Farm Center. They tied the game with 1:29 left. When it’s that close, that late in the game, expectations are tossed aside. It…

Indiana center Kel’el Ware is listed was questionable on Saturday’s Big Ten availability report ahead of IU’s clash at No. 10 Illinois. He appeared on the floor at State Farm Center in street clothes and will not play against the Fighting Illini. Ware missed IU’s most recent game, last Friday at Wisconsin, with an ankle injury. He sat on the sideline wearing a walking boot on his right foot. Head coach Mike Woodson suggested during a media availability on Zoom that the sophomore was trending in the right direction ahead of Saturday’s contest in Champaign. Ware also missed one game…

Indiana women’s basketball senior guard Sydney Parrish is out indefinitely with a foot injury, head coach Teri Moren said during Friday’s media availability over Zoom. Parrish did not play in IU’s last game at Purdue on Sunday, as she sat on the sideline with crutches and a walking boot on her right foot. After that game, Moren said she hurt her foot during practice last Friday, and her status was uncertain. Parrish was evaluated further on Monday, and it resulted in her being ruled out indefinitely. “Her status is just going to be updated game to game,” Moren said on…

Tara VanDerveer sat in on Bob Knight’s Indiana men’s basketball practices when she was a student-athlete at IU in the ’70s. She’s now the winningest coach in college basketball history. No. 6 Stanford women’s basketball’s 65-56 win over Oregon State on Sunday was VanDerveer’s 1,203rd, surpassing Duke legend Mike Krzyzweski’s record in men’s college basketball. VanDerveer set the record for the women’s game in December 2020. VanDerveer has coached at Stanford since 1985, and boasts a .818 winning percentage across her 45 years as a college head coach. She spent two years at Idaho and five at Ohio State before…