Indiana basketball ended its four-game losing streak against Minnesota, but remains on the bubble for the NCAA tournament.
Indiana basketball got back to its winning ways in a dominant performance over Minnesota on Wednesday night in Bloomington. After a senior night celebration, the Hoosiers won their final home game of the season 77-47 over the Golden Gophers. This would end their four-game losing streak, which consisted of losses at Illinois and Purdue, both by double digits, and then losses at home against Northwestern and #13 Michigan State. This brings their record to 18-12 and 9-10 in conference play.
All Big Ten teams will make the conference tournament this year, so there is guaranteed Indiana basketball after the regular season. However, the question still lies in whether or not this team will get a spot in the NCAA Tournament. But before having that conversation, there were multiple positives to come out of Wednesday night’s win.
One thing that has been consistent for Indiana basketball is scoring from Lamar Wilkerson. He is currently averaging 21.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, and is the second leading scorer in the Big Ten. An issue the Hoosiers have been facing is the fact that there has not been anyone to really back up Wilkerson in scoring. Against Minnesota, he put up 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, and for the first time since the previous seven games, was not the leading scorer for Indiana. This would go to Sam Alexis, who provided 23 points and 9 rebounds. After the game, Alexis explained how he gets into this kind of rhythm.
“I mean, it’s just my teammates finding me, coach setting up plays for me in the post. I mean, I feel like once I get it, I’m going to score,” said Alexis.
Indiana basketball also out-rebounded Minnesota 37-24, another promising look for the Hoosiers, as rebounds had been a struggle in previous games.
Overall, the win on Wednesday night was a solid team win. Indiana had four players score in the double digits. The only starter who didn’t, Conor Enright, still had a significant contribution with 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. After the game, Indiana head coach Darian DeVries expressed how proud he was of his team for their performance
“I thought the guys really had a complete 40 minutes tonight, from start to finish on both ends of the floor. I thought defensively that was about as good and connected as I thought we’ve been,” DeVries said.
With it being March, the natural question lies in whether Indiana basketball will make the NCAA Tournament or not. This team remains on the bubble even after their 30-point win and great performance against the Golden Gophers. They still have multiple chances to prove why they deserve to continue to play in March. First, their final regular season game at Ohio State on Saturday. Then, they will travel to Chicago to play in the Big Ten Tournament. If they beat Ohio State in the fashion they did against Minnesota and then make a run in the conference tournament, they have certainly made a case for themselves.
However, this doesn’t erase the past, specifically the four-game losing streak they are coming off of, with two of those being at home and one against an unranked opponent. For this Hoosiers team, it is clear that in order to be successful, they have to play connected on defense, rebound the ball, and continue to make ways for Wilkerson and Alexis to score. If they play this way, they stand a chance against nearly every team in the Big Ten. It feels like we’ve seen multiple different Indiana basketball teams this season, so now it’s just a matter of which one shows up for the remainder of the season.
The Hoosiers will look to build off their win as they travel to Columbus to play Ohio State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. CST.