The Indiana Hoosier's hopes at a Big Ten title are yet again dashed away by an early-round loss where the Hoosiers were unable to muster up much offense late in the game. Indiana and Oregon faced each other almost two weeks ago on the West Coast in a game that was close until the end when Indiana's offense went cold, and Oregon took advantage of it.
In today's rematch against the Hoosiers and the Ducks, just their second matchup against each other since the 1970s, the Hoosiers wanted to prove they weren't that team that couldn't finish the game, but that wasn't the case. Indiana and Oregon had gone back and forth again in the second-round game, just like they had in the regular season, but with about six minutes left in the game, Indiana's offense was nowhere to be found.
With about two minutes left in the game, Oregon was in the middle of a 12-2 run that had lasted over five minutes. The Hoosiers got down by as much as 12 and at that point, there was too little time left for Indiana to find a spark. The Hoosiers ended up falling to Oregon 72-59, ending their run in the Big Ten Tournament.
Just like he had been two weeks ago, Malik Reneau was the leading scorer for Indiana with 19 points, but when it mattered most, Oregon made sure to mark Reneau well and force the rest of the team to make a shot, and they weren't able to. Luke Goode uncharacteristically did not score a single basket against Oregon except for one free throw later in the game, which was his only point. He was 0-5 from the floor and 0-4 from beyond the three-point line.
Trey Galloway and Mackenzie Mgbako were the only two starters to score in double digits, with Galloway amounting to 15 points and Mgbako scoring 12. Indiana led in almost every category when it came to assists, rebounds, and blocks, but Oregon shot a stellar 49.1% from the field while Indiana was only 36.2% from the field. Oregon was also feeling it from deep shooting 40% from the beyond the three-point arc and Indiana only shot 25% from deep.
Before the game, Indiana was projected as an 11-seed in the NCAA tournament, one of the last four teams, meaning they would have to play in the play-in bracket. This loss to Oregon could affect Indiana's chances at making the NCAA Tournament, depending on who wins another tournament and how other teams on the bubble perform.
It is going to be a long wait for Indiana until Selection Sunday later this week. If the Hoosiers don't make it to the tournament, they have a chance at getting a consolation tournament and still being able to compete, but Mike Woodson's days as the Hoosiers coach could be coming to an end very soon.