[Postgame 3-2-1] What We Learned From Indiana's Blowout BTT Loss To Nebraska

Here are three key stats, two observations, and one lingering question from Indiana's Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal 93-66 defeat in Minneapolis.

Nebraska just handed Indiana an old-fashioned beatdown in the final game of Quarterfinal Friday in the Big Ten Tournament.

It was tight for about ten minutes, but the Cornhuskers, led by Keisei Tominaga’s 18-point first half, put their foot on the gas and didn’t let off.

“I thought our intentions were great when we came out because it was back and forth, but when it got to 33 to 26, 27, we dropped the rope,” Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said postgame. “They went in big at halftime and we just never recovered.”

The 27-point loss is Indiana’s largest margin of defeat to Nebraska in the 29 games the teams have played.

Mike Woodson was ejected with five minutes left in the second half after earning his second technical foul from DJ Carstensen.

Following the loss, Indiana ends its tumultuous 2023-2024 season 19-14.

Now here are three meaningful stats, two observations, and one lingering question coming out of last night’s game.

3 Meaningful Stats

1. Nebraska averaged 1.563 points per possession in the first half.

The combination of bad defense leading to open looks plus Nebraska making the tough, well-defended ones too was the recipe for Indiana’s disastrous first half.

The Hoosiers couldn’t contain the Huskers on either end of the floor. Indiana could not keep up with the pace of the game — credit to Fred Hoiberg and his team for assuring that Indiana would not slow the game down.

Once Nebraska starts hitting shots, it is incredibly difficult to cool them off.

Tominaga and Brice Williams combined to shoot 8-11 from deep in the half, paving the way to a 17-0 run to finish the half. Suddenly, the lead Indiana had at the under-12 media timeout turned into a 23-point deficit heading into halftime.

“We just didn't have any answers tonight from a defensive standpoint because we were just not real good tonight,” Woodson said. “They were very good tonight offensively as well as defensively.”

2. Reneau and Ware combined for just 17 points.

When Indiana needed their two stars the most, they completely disappeared.

The sophomore tandem shot an abysmal 7-24 from the field and could not get anything going, partly due the stifling Nebraska defense.

As soon as Reneau and Ware put the ball on the deck, Nebraska would collapse their defense into a double-team, almost daring Indiana to shoot the basketball from deep.

As seen throughout the 33-game season, Indiana cannot consistently hit the 3-point shot, so the Huskers invited the perimeter shot all night.

“They've been double-teaming all ways you can double-team, but they didn't read well tonight,” Woodson said of the trouble in the paint. “They didn't read the back side, and we were forcing things early to the point where we just didn't make the right play.”

Mike Woodson and his coaching staff must prioritize grabbing 3-point shooters out of the portal in the off-season.

3. Indiana finished a perfect 13-13 from the charity stripe.

For the first time since January of 2019, Indiana shot 100% from the free-throw line, taking and making a bakers dozen last night.

Oddly enough, the last two times an Indiana team has gone perfect from the line were on the road.

When the Hoosiers shoot free throws in Assembly Hall, they know that any miss will result in a groan and even a few boos from their fellow students; however, there appears to be more poise from the players in road and neutral environments.

Indiana would have won at least five more games this season had they shot 90% from the charity stripe.

Three of the four teams remaining in the Big Ten Tournament are in the top four in the conference in free throw percentage this season.

Winning teams make winning plays — and making free throws at a consistent clip fits that mold.

2 Important Observations

1. Nebraska will be fun to watch next week in the NCAA Tournament.

Fred Hoiberg has breathed life into a basketball program that had no steam when he stepped on campus in 2019. And for the first time in a decade, he will have the Huskers playing in the NCAA tournament.

Whether it’s Keisei Tominaga hitting ridiculous shots from Omaha or Rienk Mast surprising the world with his footwork down low to get an easy bucket, this Nebraska team has promise to be America’s team when next week’s tournament starts.

“I'm all in on this place. I love it. I want to be here,” Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg said postgame. “Hopefully we can continue to have success, have sustained success at Nebraska.”

The next step for Hoiberg beyond winning the Big Ten Tournament title is winning Nebraska’s first-ever NCAA tournament game. The Cornhuskers are 0-7 in their seven appearances in the Big Dance.

2. Mike Woodson wasn’t there for his seniors last night.

During his senior day speech on Sunday, Mike Woodson told his seniors that he would always be there for them.

Last night, he was in the locker room when Xavier Johnson and Anthony Walker stepped off the floor for the final time in the college basketball careers. (Indiana has already announced that it will decline an NIT bid to focus on recruiting.)

Woodson, who was given the heave-ho from DJ Carstensen with five minutes left, could not be there for his players when they needed him most emotionally.

It was mentioned in the postgame show that this is something that shouldn’t sit well with Indiana fans.

What good does a meaningless ejection do in a 30-point game with five minutes left? Woodson was practically begging Carstensen for the second technical.

Yasir Rosemond took Woodson’s place as the acting head coach. After the final horn, he huddled up the entire team at mid-court and reflected upon the journey of the season.

“We’ve had a long and tough season,” Malik Reneau said reflecting on the moment postgame. “We just tried to give it our all for the final game of the season.”

1 Lingering Question

Indiana has reportedly denied an invitation to the NIT … so what is next?

Late in the second half, Zach Osterman of the IndyStar reported that Indiana would not accept a bid to the NIT and would shift their focus to recruiting, specifically in the transfer portal.

There was an array of reactions in response to Osterman’s tweet. In the end, I disagree even with our own Ryan Phillips in saying I think this is the correct decision for Indiana to look to next season.

Woodson and Co. now have an opportunity to get a head start on recruiting within the transfer portal for the summer

“The bottom line is we've got to get better,” Woodson said. “From a talent standpoint, this summer will be spent watching a lot of film on players because we're going to lose some players, I'm sure, and we're going to have to build around the core guys that are coming back.”

Although Woodson claimed last night was too early to assess what the program’s wants and needs are for next season, it is obvious that this Indiana team needs difference makers in the backcourt and on the wing — preferably difference makers who can make outside shots.

The coaching staff will hit the ground running when they return to Bloomington later today, ready to take on the challenge of the transfer portal.

“We've just got a lot of work to do this summer to get better. I don't want to sit here this time next year and not be playing in the tournament.”

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Thanks for reading!

Don’t forget to log your vote for the game balls and hustle award. (The answers were pretty obvious for this game.)

We’ll be live again soon talking IU men’s basketball. For now, it’s time to turn our collective attention the women’s program, which still has a shot at a top-4 seed and hosting an opening round NCAA Tournament game. We’ll find out Sunday night!

Josh Pos

Student Intern

The Assembly Call