Indiana's NCAA Tournament hopes took a dive over the last few weeks. The Hoosiers entered Wednesday's matchup against Minnesota riding a four-game losing streak, which included a brutal home loss to Northwestern on February 24. The Hoosiers fell out of many March Madness bracket projections, which left IU firmly on the bubble and little room for error entering the final week of the regular season.
Key coaching moves spark ferocious Hoosiers comeback win over Nebraska
Wednesday's home tilt against Minnesota gave IU a great opportunity to get back on track and revitalize its NCAA Tournament hopes. Needing a win in the worst possible way, Darian DeVries' squad delivered in a big way.
SENIOR NIGHT W ‼️ pic.twitter.com/T83GlQKPyn
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) March 5, 2026
Indiana's NCAA Tournament hopes get major boost with 30-point win over Minnesota
Indiana is on the outside looking in when it comes to a good majority of March Madness bracket projections. ESPN's Joe Lunardi has IU slated as the first team in the "First Four Out" category in his latest projection. Thus, Indiana needed a statement win on Wednesday against Minnesota, as a loss would have been detrimental to its tournament hopes.
IU delivered in a big way, routing Minnesota by a score of 77-47. The 30-point victory was just what the doctor ordered for DeVries and company, who now own an overall record of 18-12 and a 9-10 mark in Big Ten play.
Indiana shot a strong 57% from the floor, and senior Sam Alexis led the way with a team-high 23 points. It was Alexis' best game as a Hoosier, as he shot an astounding 9-for-11 (81.8%) from the field and finished one rebound short of a double-double.
Lamar Wilkerson put together another strong outing, totaling 16 points and knocking down four three-pointers. He is now six three-pointers shy of tying Steve Alford for the Indiana all-time record for most three-pointers in a single season.
A huge matchup against Ohio State awaits on Saturday
After dominating Minnesota, Indiana is now set for a critical road matchup against Ohio State on Saturday evening. Ohio State is listed as one of the "Last Four In" teams in Lunardi's latest projection, which means the Hoosiers have a great chance to not only improve their own tournament resume with a win, but knock the Buckeyes down in the process.
If the Hoosiers win on the road in Columbus to improve to 10-10 in Big Ten conference play, it would likely go a long way in their NCAA Tournament hopes. Adding a Q1 road win against another bubble team could be just enough to convince the committee to include IU in the 68-team tournament field.
Tip-off between the Hoosiers and Buckeyes is set for 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night.