Despite valiant effort, Indiana falls on the road to Illinois
Xavier Johnson went to the line with 54 seconds left in the second half in an attempt to tie the game against No. 10 Illinois by making two free throws. In spite of a fantastic effort, neither free throw was made, and the Fighting Illini scored to increase their lead to four points. Indiana’s losing run now stands at three games after Illinois held on to win 70-62 in State Farm Center on Saturday afternoon.
That made a difference, according to Woodson. “You have to make free throws to win close games anyplace on the road. We missed them at crucial moments when we needed them, thus our ball club did not do well from our 12-for-22 performance. However, I was happy with how we had a week to work and
Get ready for this group.
Due to a lower right foot ailment, Kel’el Ware missed his second straight game, leaving Indiana shorthanded once more. Ware was replaced in the starting lineup by Anthony Walker, and Johnson was back in the starting lineup. For the Hoosiers, Johnson ended with 14 points and 4 rebounds.
It seems promising, Woodson remarked. “In the end, our seniors will have to lead if we’re going to go anywhere, [Johnson] and [Trey Galloway].”
Woodson continued by saying that compared to their counterparts, Indiana’s freshmen and sophomores are still learning the ropes and are still developing. Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako, two freshmen, stood up for Indiana in spite of this.
Woodson stated, “Malik’s been a solid man.” He’s a sophomore who is beginning to make sense of things. I’m happy with Malik because he’s come a long way since he first started here as a freshman, and if he keeps working, which he does, I can’t help but believe he will continue to progress.
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Mackenzie Mgbako of Indiana drives in the designated lane (HN photo/Nick McCarry)
Mgbako made his first recording
career double-double after 37 minutes with 12 points and 12 rebounds. In Ware’s absence and with Reneau fouling out, the 6’8″ native of New Jersey demonstrated his next man up mindset.
“Remember when we first started working with him? It was difficult.” Woodson stated. “He was ignorant of defensive rotations… and it will happen; I believe he just needs more practice. It takes failure at times to achieve success.
Woodson said he is happy with Mgbako’s work ethic in the workplace and thinks the man will only get better.
Mgbako remarked, “I just feel like we were together as a team today.” “There was greater preparedness, and we played more as a team with far more effort. both offensive and defensive ball readiness.
It was not Indiana’s most ideal afternoon. They missed 10 free throws, including several key ones in the closing minutes, and went 0-for-9 from outside the arc, their first three-point shooting drought since February 25, 2010. Additionally, off of two total shots, the Hoosiers managed just two bench points. Nevertheless, Woodson thinks his squad was able to successfully prepare and execute their game plan because of the eight-day break in between games.
Woodson remarked, “Winning on the road is a fine line.” “You have to perform nearly everything correctly, such as creating
Don’t shoot the three-point ball 0-for-9 on your free throws; we had nice looks, but just didn’t make them.
Illinois shot 37% from the field while Indiana shot 46% (25-for-54) as a team.
“Knowing that we put in a lot of effort and tried our best, but we just learn from it and move on to the next one,” Mgbako remarked.
In their game against the Illini on Saturday afternoon, Indiana shot 12–22 from the foul line, ultimately losing 70–62.
We break down the action from State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, with our @HaydenSmithPxP & @TMontalbano9 analysis. /pic.twitter.com/DbQtTWZZ3Q #iubb
— @TheHoosierNet, The Hoosier Network January 27, 2024: After finishing 4-5 in Big Ten play and 12-8 overall, Indiana is now 0-7 in Quad 1 games. The Hoosiers’ chances of making it to a post-season tournament are rapidly fading as they prepare for another test at home against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday.
