A Maddening March Lies Ahead for Indiana Men's Basketball
Over the course of the school's storied history, Indiana University has built one of the most powerful empires across the entire NCAA basketball landscape. There have been plenty of fond memories that have transpired inside of the walls of Assembly Hall, and the team has bagged five national championships through the annual end of season royal rumble that we call "March Madness".
Unfortunately for this program and it's fanbase, it would take arguably the greatest miracle in the history of miracles for this team to even earn an invite to the dance, let alone to add trophy #6 in 2023-2024 (maybe next year, though). With so much inconsistency being showcased on a game-to-game basis, there has simply been a surplus of sloppiness which will forever be correlated with Mike Woodson's team this year.
While the results on the floor thus far in the campaign have been tough to swallow, the most frustrating portion of this year will be (almost certainly) watching the NCAA tournament from the sidelines and wondering what could have been. Woody already revved up the train of dwelling thoughts following the Hoosiers' victory over Wisconsin last night:
Mike Woodson: “Every day I go to bed I think about what it could have been like if we had X (Xavier Johnson) early.”
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 28, 2024
There were lots of reasons for optimism leading up to the start of the year. Xavier Johnson was granted a medical redshirt to return and run the show as a 6th-year senior. Kel'el Ware and Mackenzie Mgbako were both very highly touted newcomers who brought a ton to the table. Malik Reneau was back and ready to blossom. Did we mention Trey Galloway was back for his last hoorah?
Regardless of the talent that this team has on paper, they were just far too young and undisciplined to make any serious noise this year. It just took us all a little longer than it should have for that epiphany to spring to mind. As Indiana Hoosier basketball fans, we watch our guys and support them even if they drive us crazy sometimes.
Now, the fellas will likely have to watch their peers go to battle in the most important section of the season. With so much promise heading into 2023-2024, browsing the brackets as pedestrians will almost assuredly drive these guys mad as they reflect on how things could be different and wish they could be playing rather than peeping.
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