Indiana Basketball Falls To Maryland, 79-78: 3 Takeaways

Indiana basketball fell to Maryland for their second loss in Assembly Hall this season. Read more for 3 takeaways:

It was back and forth for virtually the whole game on Sunday afternoon with impressive performances from individuals on both teams throughout the match. With just 18 seconds to play, Indiana basketball was up by 2 points; however, after a Terrapin timeout, Maryland’s Rodney Rice hit a 3 with 7 seconds to play and Indiana could not manage to get another shot in. When the buzzer sounded, you could visibly see how defeated the Indiana players were as the win was completely within reach.

Takeaway #1: Anthony Leal.

It would be easy to look at this loss and only focus on the negatives for Indiana basketball, but there were some stellar performances from the squad and one player that really stood out was Anthony Leal. One thing that will always be promised from Leal is that he will bring 100% effort with the minutes he is given. In the game against Maryland, Leal played for 19 minutes and undoubtedly made the most of this time. He provided six points, five rebounds, and two assists for Indiana basketball and tied it up for the Hoosiers toward the end of the second half. With just under five minutes to play, Indiana was down 70-67 and Leal’s 3-point play tied it up. After a layup and successful free throw, Leal brought the score to 70-70, changing the energy of the game and turning it around for the Hoosiers.

It is evident that Leal is adored by Indiana basketball fans. When he was announced as a part of the starting five on Sunday afternoon, Assembly Hall erupted. Then, at the end of the game when Leal was subbed out in the final seconds, head coach Mike Woodson was met with loud “boos” from around the arena.

Takeaway #2: End of game situations are not Indiana’s strong suit

The way the Maryland game ended for Indiana basketball was cringe-worthy. The Hoosiers were up by two and just had to play about 30 seconds of solid defense with no threes and no fouls. However, after the Terrapins called a timeout with 18 seconds left to play, they had a successful three-point shot to bring them up by one. Then, Indiana called a timeout with five seconds left and also subbed out Oumar Ballo and Anthony Leal for Luke Goode and Mackenzie Mgbako. Indiana ran a play to try to give Myles Rice a three-point shot, but Rice got stuck in the corner and the shot was no good.

While the players could have played better defense and executed the play more successfully, the way this game ended also falls on the coaching staff. It’s a head-scratcher for sure as fans have to be wondering what conversation was being had at halftime and during the timeout at the end of the game.

Takeaway #3: Rice as the X factor for Maryland

Sophomore guard Rodney Rice had nothing short of an extremely impressive performance against Indiana basketball on Sunday. He finished the game with 23 points and hit a game-winning shot to bring the Terrapins up by one. Not only was this 3-point shot hit with a few seconds left, but Rodney was not in a good position to take the shot as it was contested and he wasn’t set.

Something that is interesting too is the fact that Rice received an offer from Indiana when he was going through the recruiting process.

Rice is currently averaging 12.6 points and 2.3 rebounds a game for the Terrapins

Indiana basketball has a big week as they prepare to take on their biggest rival on Friday.

Next up for Indiana basketball: at Purdue – Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. EST

Next up for Maryland basketball: vs. Wisconsin – Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. EST