As an I.U. fan, it’s been frustrating to watch this team struggle with inconsistency. They’ve overcome injuries, but every time a player hits the floor, I wonder if they will get up again. Geronimo and Duncomb are out again, while Thompson is a step slow, and X has yet to return. Yet, they’ve won four straight, but Maryland has also been hot, winning three of the last four after being edged by Purdue. Plus, they’ve yet to lose a conference game at home.

Unfortunately, this streak continued for the Terps as Indiana shot just 38 percent from the field with only three made 3-pointers on 11 attempts. Maryland was even less effective at 34 percent, but with five 3-pointers on 22 attempts. IU allowed 22 mostly uncontested shots from beyond the arc. With just under five minutes to go in the first half and in a span of one minute and 36 seconds, the Hoosiers turned the ball over three times and gave up five points. Entering halftime, they trailed 37-29.

The Hoosiers never got to 60 and watched Maryland cross that threshold at 3:01 with a nine-point lead. 66-55 was the final, after the home team went 25-29 from the charity stripe and Jahmir Young led all scorers with 20. TJD countered with 19 and Race totaled 11, but it wasn’t enough, as IU fell another game behind Purdue in the standings. The #1 Boilermakers were headed to Bloomington with a 9-game winning streak.

The good news for the Hoosier faithful was that Mackenzie Holmes delivered 28 points with four blocks while Sydney Parrish contributed 23 points, five steals and eight boards to help the No. 4 Indiana women soundly defeat Minnesota 77-54.

At last, despite the road loss to Maryland, the Hoosier men were back in the Top 25. It was time for Hoosier fans to raise the roof at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, also referred to as “Ass Hall” by my Boiler buddies. It turned out to be a classic rivalry battle to the 60-mark that saw IU take down it’s first #1ranked opponent in a decade. The Hoosiers jumped out to a 15-point halftime bulge, scoring a masterful 50 at the mid-point buzzer.

It was Edey vs. TJD, battling for Player of the Year in the country, if not certainly for the BIG individual crown. In the end, Zach had 33 with 18-rebounds while Trayce managed 25 and only seven. Purdue was dominant on the boards 38-22 but I.U. won the game 79-75. In the process, the Cream & Crimson also won the race to 60 at 12:46 on a Schifino jumper. Jalen was also the biggest scoring factor down the stretch. The rivalry would continue in three weeks, but first a visit from the #24 Scarlet Knights.

It only seemed appropriate that Trayce Jackson-Davis finally won a series game against Rutgers and in the process became the 6th player in Hoosier history to exceed the 2,000-point achievement. The victory also moved I.U. into a 2nd place conference tie after prevailing in seven of their last eight games.