Indiana's second half dominance against Purdue keeps tournament hopes alive
Sunday’s resumé-boosting 73-58 victory over no. 13 Purdue keeps the Hoosiers in the mix for an NCAA Tournament berth … for the time being.
Sunday’s resumé-boosting 73-58 victory over no. 13 Purdue keeps the Hoosiers in the mix for an NCAA Tournament berth … for the time being.
Indiana will be playing the rest of its schedule with its back against the wall — and in their first test, the Hoosiers passed with flying colors.
“It's always special when you beat Purdue,” Mike Woodson said postgame. “I've had a history and a lot of experience dealing with Purdue over the years. The games are always tough, you know what I mean, regardless of how much talent each team has. Who has the most talent in those particular games is always pretty tough.”
After a spirited start to the game, Indiana found itself in a hole, trailing Purdue by a dozen at the start of the second half.
Indiana swiftly erased the Boilermaker lead, starting the half on a remarkable 28-3 run in the first eight minutes, mainly due to stifling defensive pressure. Within minutes, a 12-point deficit became a 13-point lead.
During the eight-minute stretch, Indiana made more field goals (12) than Purdue had attempted (8).
After stretching the lead to double figures, the Hoosiers never relinquished the double-digit advantage, leading their arch-rival by as many as 18.
The Hoosiers shot 28-of-54 from the field, including a 64 percent clip in the second half, while holding Purdue to 20-of-47 overall and 30 percent in the final 20 minutes.
“We did everything from a defensive standpoint that we worked on these days that we had to practice. It was a nice carry over,” Woodson said. “I thought the second half, our defense really picked it up and we were able to get stops and we started to make shots.”
Malik Reneau went a perfect 7-of-7, scoring 15 points. His second-half dunk brought his career total over 1,000 points, making him the 55th Hoosier all-time to eclipse the 1,000-point threshold.
“It's super special. Thank the Lord,” Reneau said of the milestone. “That's all I can say pretty much. It's a special moment for me.”
Four different Hoosiers also scored in double figures in the victory, forcing Woodson into a six-man rotation in the second half.
“I'm a big believer in guys, that's what you do when you get in the game and you make the most of it,” Woodson said. “You know, it was seniors that carried us tonight and I refuse to change up anything much throughout the course of the second half. You know, they will be back in there and Mac will get an opportunity to possibly be back in there, as well.”
Everything Woodson has done in the last two seasons has been under the microscope. However, his .500 record against Purdue in its best stretch in program history should be remembered fondly, especially given his predecessor’s zero wins in seven tries.
Following another quad-one victory, Indiana jumped eight spots to 50th in KenPom. While Indiana will still likely be on the outside looking in on most bracketology websites, Sunday’s victory breathed new life into the Hoosiers’ hopes.
Though they need to jump through many hoops to make the big dance, Indiana still controls its own destiny, making it all the more important for players like Trey Galloway to win for their outgoing coach.
“Obviously this is Coach's last year, and we want to make it special for him. We want to make it special for everyone.”
73-58!