Author: Seth Tow

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Despite all the basketball Mackenzie Mgbako has played in his life, he’d never had a four-point play. That changed on Sunday. During a second-half run against Maryland, Xavier Johnson shoveled a pass over to the freshman near the corner in front of the IU bench. Terps forward Julian Reese knocked Mgbako down during his follow-through, and the shot fell. The New Jersey native yelled from the ground as his teammates swarmed him going into a media timeout. That was Indiana’s 10th straight made field goal, during a streak that reached 12. And it cut Maryland’s lead…

One of the few constants of this Indiana men’s basketball season has been the team’s fight. The Hoosiers have had so much go wrong this season, from injuries to ineffective play. But even when facing lopsided deficits, they’ve shown resolve in nearly every game. IU’s made second-half runs in so many games that still ended up double-digit losses. Against Wisconsin on Tuesday, that fight extended through the entire contest. With the way things turned from bad to worse in February, there were plenty of reasons the Hoosiers could’ve packed it in and just gone through the motions for the rest…

As Indiana women’s basketball debriefed from a blowout November loss at Stanford, head coach Teri Moren wanted an answer from her players. The Hoosiers fell flat in their second game of the year, suffering their most lopsided defeat in seven seasons. And in a team huddle after returning to Bloomington, Moren asked a simple question. “What is it? You guys tell me. What is it?” After hearing that, Chloe Moore-McNeil couldn’t hold it in. The Greenfield, Tenn. native knew what needed to be said, and she had to get it off her chest. “Guys, we’re soft right now. Let’s keep…

BLOOMINGTON — Deep in the throes of a woeful season seemingly getting worse with each passing game, Indiana men’s basketball experienced a night unlike most others this year. It’s not just that the Hoosiers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 74-70 victory over Wisconsin on Tuesday. It’s what transpired both inside and outside of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall that led to the result. Kel’el Ware caught fire and rode it to one of IU’s strongest individual performances of the season. And as that played out, Assembly Hall dealt with an actual fire scare. ‘The best player on the floor’ Ware…

Facing the team with the second-worst record in the Big Ten, Indiana women’s basketball couldn’t afford a slip-up on Tuesday. And the Hoosiers got the job done, rolling to an 84-64 win over Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. Indiana (23-4, 14-3 Big Ten) shot 7 for 21 from 3-point range in the contest, while Northwestern (8-20, 3-14) went just 2 for 12. The Hoosiers leaned on a big advantage on the boards, out-rebounding the Wildcats 41-27. IU led at halftime, 43-33. The Hoosiers never quite broke the game completely open in the first half, though they led by as…

Mike Woodson is facing reality. He entered the job as Indiana’s head men’s basketball coach in 2021 confident in his coaching abilities. He’d experienced both success and failure at the NBA level, and thought that experience could pay dividends and help him thrive in the collegiate ranks. He experienced some success in his first two years in Bloomington, leading IU to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in five years. But in just about every way, his third season has been an unmitigated disaster. Saturday’s 83-74 loss to Penn State only further perpetuated that situation. The Hoosiers faced…

BLOOMINGTON — With the pressure as high and the lights as bright as they’ve been all season, Indiana kept its cool. Well, mostly. The Hoosiers played with as much passion as they’ve shown all season in Thursday’s 86-69 win over Iowa, but channeled it into largely positive energy. Mackenzie Holmes played with her typical fire, knowing that gets her teammates going. It had that impact on Sara Scalia, who came up with a barrage of clutch plays. And it was the typically stone-faced fifth-year — of all people — whose emotions overflowed. After driving by Iowa’s Gabbie Marshall for a…

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana’s biggest home game of the season was always going to be Thursday’s battle against Iowa. But after Monday’s loss to Illinois, it became a must-win. The 14th-ranked Hoosiers couldn’t drop this game if they want to host NCAA Tournament games for the third consecutive season. And in front of an electric, big-game atmosphere at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Indiana got the job done. IU turned in one of its more inspired performances of the season, and came away with the signature win it desperately needed — an 86-69 upset over the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes. Indiana (22-4, 13-3 Big…

BLOOMINGTON — Trey Galloway looked distraught. He walked into the media room at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Wednesday with Mackenzie Mgbako after Indiana’s 85-70 loss to Nebraska, already knowing the sorts of questions he was about to hear in the postgame press conference. They’d come from an obviously disappointed locker room, following IU’s third straight loss. The senior’s voice sounded heavy as he spoke. His hair was disheveled, as though he’d been pulling it in frustration. He resembled someone who’d just pulled an all-nighter. Galloway just appeared exhausted, as if Indiana’s disastrous season had worn him down. “We’ve got to…

Of all that’s plagued Indiana men’s basketball this season, free-throw shooting has been the most prominent issue. The Hoosiers are shooting 66 percent at the foul line this year with six games remaining in the regular season. That’s the 29th-worst mark in the country. IU shot a bit better from the stripe in Mike Woodson’s first two years as head coach — 71.1 percent in 2022-23, and 70 percent in 2021-22. Indiana hasn’t posted a free-throw percentage this low since it finished at 65.5 percent in 2018-19, which was 26th-worst in the nation. But it’s not a regular occurrence for…