[Postgame 3-2-1] What We Learned From Indiana's Loss Against Maryland
Here are three stats, two additional observations, and one lingering question from Indiana's 79-78 defeat to Maryland.
BLOOMINGTON — After two consecutive games away from home, Indiana basketball was back inside Assembly Hall for a Big Ten battle with Maryland on Sunday afternoon.
The Hoosiers, despite a strong surge in the second half led by Myles Rice, fell in heartbreaking fashion to the Terrapins.
“I know those guys in the locker room, I love them to death, and they don't like losing,” Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said postgame. “I've just got to help them more. That's what I've got to do.”
With the loss, Indiana drops to 14-7 overall and 5-5 in Big Ten play.
Here are three stats, two additional observations, and one lingering question from Indiana's 79-78 heartbreaking defeat to Maryland.
3 Meaningful Stats
1. Maryland made eight second half 3s
Maryland’s eight second-half 3-pointers in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon were strikingly similar to Northwestern’s nine on Wednesday night in Evanston. Indiana has now allowed a combined 17 made 3-pointers in its last two second halves — with Maryland and Northwestern combining to shoot 55% from beyond the arc.
"We've just got to get better in that area and guard the three ball," Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said postgame. "Early on, we were pretty good in that area, and we had some slippage there as well."
Trailing by a point to start the second half, Indiana snoozed through the first 10-plus minutes, and Maryland guard Rodney Rice hit a triple to place the Hoosiers in a double-digit hole.
A vast majority of Maryland’s dozen three-pointers made were due to miscommunication on Indiana's part.
"A couple times we lost guys, but there were a few times that we were right there," Woodson said "Obviously you're not close enough if guys can just turn and shoot in your face and make them."
Overall, the Terrapins shot 50 percent from behind the line, converting on 12-of-24 attempts from deep.
2. Rice surges in second half to 16-point afternoon
Myles Rice wasn't much of a factor in the first half on Sunday. Indiana's point guard totaled just two points, missing both of his field goals, in the opening frame.
He added a rebound and two assists, but didn't make much of a tangible impact on the game. That changed in a big way come the second half.

All told, Rice poured in 14-second half points, hitting several key 3-pointers. However, Rice was short on his biggest shot of the final 20 minutes.
After Maryland guard Rodney Rice drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer from the left wing to put the Terrapins up by one with 5 seconds to play, Rice was missed a contested 3-pointer with less than three seconds to play.
3. Maryland bigs win the rebounding battle 22-16
Entering Sunday afternoon's affair, the biggest individual matchup was down low between the big men. Whoever won the battle of Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo versus Julian Reese and Derik Queen would have a sizable leg up on their opponent.
In the first half, it was the Terrapins' set of bigs that had the slight upper hand.
Reneau and Ballo accounted for two and 10 first-half points respectively, while the former played just six minutes in the opening due to early foul trouble. Ballo grabbed six rebounds in the first 20 minutes of the game, with two coming on the offensive glass. On the flip side, Reese and Queen combined for 14 first-half points, as well as 12 rebounds.
The second half was more of the same. For Indiana, neither Reneau nor Ballo were anything special. They each had their moments, but neither was dominant. The paring combined for 12 points and 11 rebounds in the second frame.
For Maryland, Reese and Queen weren't much of a factor in the second half. The duo combined for seven points and nine rebounds in the final 20 minutes.
Overall, Maryland won the rebounding battle over Indiana on Sunday, 35-32.
2 Important Observations
1. Assembly Hall was rocking
Though the crowds have varied throughout the peaks and valleys of the 2024-2025 season, Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall was on fire on Sunday afternoon.
A mostly positive crowd filled the 17,222 seats and were lively from the opening tip.
“This place and these fans reward tough plays and hard plays, and they notice when we're out there playing as hard as we can,” Leal said. “They reward us with energy, and it becomes contagious. That's what makes this game so special.”
The loss left fans deflated as chants of ‘Fire Woodson’ rung throughout the south lobby.
2. Goode has been fantastic as of late
Luke Goode had his fair share of struggles in his first couple months with his home state team. However, the Fort Wayne native has been lights out from deep since the calendar flipped to 2025.
Goode made a pair of triples on three attempts in Sunday’s loss, finishing with eight points in 17 minutes.
The sharpshooter is now 22 for his last 38 from 3-point range, beginning with the Rutgers game on January 2nd.
Goode is averaging 10.9 points per game in conference play and is shooting 51 percent from deep halfway through the conference slate.
If Indiana is going to get itself out of the hole in the season’s final 10 games, then Goode will need to have more offensive sets run through him.
1 Lingering Question
Did Rodney Rice put the dagger in Indiana’s season?
As Rodney Rice’s left wing 3 swished in to cap off a thrilling victory, it may have put a dagger through the heart of Bloomington.
Sunday’s game was strikingly similar to kill shots of seasons in the past, but it felt much more heartbreaking.
Indiana fell to 2-6 in quad one games with 10 games left and time is quickly slipping away on the season.

Although it seems far-fetched, especially after a devastating defeat, Indiana still has an attempt to turn its season around. Opportunities are plentiful, but Indiana will need to shift from being the cat to the mouse as it faces rival Purdue on the road in West Lafayette on Friday.
“Those are golden opportunities for us to get over the hump a little bit,” Anthony Leal said. “Figure it out, and just continue learning how to win.”