Category: Indiana University Hoosier (I.U) Sports (Page 1 of 31)

The IU women came home to heal after a 56-46 loss at Butler’s famed Hinkle Fieldhouse. It was only the 4th time in coach Teri Moren’s tenure that they failed to score at least 50 points, plus the team committed 16-turnovers. It was a disappointing start to the season, after beating Brown in the opener but losing to Harvard in overtime, despite a 60-57 lead in regulation that should have been magical. They faced 4-0 Stanford at Assembly Hall, ranked 24th in the country with the #1 ranked offense. It was a tough assignment to dig out of a 1-2 hole, but the Hoosier women prevailed 79-66. There’s no place like home. 

The I.U. men continued to win at home but sputtered in the process. The defense against UNC-Greensboro was stifling at the start, as the Hoosiers jumped out to a 21-5 bulge, but by halftime the Spartans had cut it to single digits with hot 3-point shooting and too many second chance shots. For some reason, IU could not get in position for offensive rebounds, allowing seventeen, despite a substantial size advantage. In shocking fashion, UNC-Greensboro went on to tie the game early in the second half at 40, while the home crowd went quiet. 

We’ve seen these lulls in play over the past few years, as coach Woodson tinkers with the lineup. From the 11:07 mark to 5:04 left in the half, the Hoosiers were stuck on 21. Then, they only scored 5 points in the first five minutes of the second half and got stuck again on 45 before finally stretching the lead to over ten. At 7:56, they managed to get to sixty on a Myles Rice layup with an 11-point lead. The final score was 69-58. 

Freshman Bryson Tucker was the star of this game with 14 second-half points, when he got his chance to play, although Myles Rice was the leading scorer with 20. Ronald Polite III led the Spartans with 17. IU was 5-19 from three-point range while UNC-Greensboro launched 32, but only 9 fell. Reneau, Mgbako, and Ballo each totaled nine points and Luke Goode finally hit a three. At least, the team was solid from the free throw line at 14-16 but there were fourteen turnovers. 

Both the men and women head to the Bahamas, with the men’s first game against Louisville while the women start with 4-1 Columbia. The Bad Boy Mowers Battle for Atlantis is a mouth full and perhaps a bit sexist. The “Bad Girls” in the Bahamas may have an issue with the name. We’ll see who comes home with the hardware.

While IU football had the day off, Hoosier fans finally got a look at the prospects of this year’s basketball team. South Carolina came into Assembly Hall with an early season loss but at least provided a formidable early season test after a couple exhibition games and two comfortable victories. IU proved that they can hit the three this year, even without intention, after Kanaan Caryle’s lob to Mackenzie Mgbako found the net instead of outstretched hands. Hopefully, it’s a sign of what’s to come following this much improved 8-17 performance behind the arc. Guard play was hampered by injuries to Gabe Cupps, Jakai Newton, and Anthony Leal, but Myles Rice stepped up with 23-points and Carlyle added twelve in this 87-71 victory. There were still a lot of rough edges, but at least turnovers were limited to eleven. 

Trey Galloway put the game away with three of his eleven points at the 10:46 mark for a 62-44 lead, allowing the “first to 60” to work its magic. Oumar Ballo had thirteen rebounds and finally scored his first of seven points once “Sixth Man” Galloway entered the lineup and started to feed him in the post. The fans got fed free French Fries when the Gamecocks’ Jacobi Wright missed two consecutive free throws with 26.9 on the clock thanks to the Finney’s promotion. 

Morris Ugusuk led South Carolina in scoring with 18-points with Collin Murray-Boyles in foul trouble. Mackenzie Mgbako continued to impress with seventeen for the Hoosiers. Next up is UNC Greensboro in Bloomington before they head to the Bahamas and the first Battle 4 Atlantis game against Louisville. 

After a strong run to finish the regular soccer season and sharing a Big Ten title with #1 seed Ohio State, the Hoosiers fell short to Michigan with a strong sense of disappointment since they easily won the regular season match 5-0. They then had to patiently wait for their seeding in the NCAA tournament. The soccer men did then at least get to watch their football team get some means of revenge against the Wolverines on the gridiron. Typically, it’s been the other way around. 

In the meantime, both men’s and women’s basketball were in action. It was not a magical time for the women, losing in surprising fashion against both Harvard 72-68 and Butler 56-46, while falling badly from their initial #25 rating to start the season. The Hoosier women shot a dismal 36% from the field and had 16-turnovers at Hinkle Fieldhouse against the Bulldogs. They had 27-turnovers against Harvard. The IU men had already topped ISUE in their opener and faced the Eastern Illinois Panthers at friendly Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. 

The Hoosier men did not get off to a great start, trailing by five points before going on a 24-2 run early in the second half. Mgbako, Ballo and Reneau combined to make 23 of 32 shots overall and grab 22 rebounds. Indiana outscored Eastern Illinois 54-18 in the second half. They went on to win 90-55. Nakyel Shelton led the upset-minded Panthers with 17-points and made five threes to take an unexpected one-point halftime lead. They were a far cry from the team that lost by 45 at No. 24 Illinois in their season opener. IUs 24-2 run, the Hoosiers made 9 of 14 shots while the Panthers managed only one basket along with 10 missed shots. At the 12:26 mark, Malik’s Reneau’s layup made it a decisive 60-45 on one of eight assists from Trey Galloway. Overall, the Hoosiers added more magic by holding Eastern to well under 60-points. Plus, Luke

When this story began in the Bob Knight era, I wrote about a McDonalds’ promotion for free food for fans with stellar defensive performances. Finney Hopitality Group has offered a similar program, although not really aimed at defense but rather poor free throw shooting by a home opponent. “If an opposing player misses two consecutive free throws during a trip to the free-throw line, fans receive a free order of Finney Fries which will be redeemable at any Finney Hospitality Group restaurant in the state of Indiana which includes – The Tap, Yogi’s, Social Cantina, and SmokeWorks. None of these restaurants existed in Bloomington when Coach Knight and I came to town in 1971. I got my free fries from McDonalds. 

The men host the South Carolina Gamecocks next. The women try to rebound against undefeated #24 Stanford. Will we see more magic and maybe get some free fries?

I had to let the Michigan game settle in a bit before commenting. I saw the vulnerability of IU’s undefeated season after admittedly being overconfident at halftime. The Hoosiers were clearly in control but not scoring at their usual high level. The Wolverines took the second half kickoff and were promptly stopped, relieving some anxiety that perhaps this was all a dream, too good to be true. Then Michigan “suddenly” took the momentum, using one of announcer Don Fisher’s favorite transitions when things turned on a dime. I was almost embarrassed by the end of the third quarter at the team’s performance. I saw this as a solid team, well balanced on both sides of the ball, but they quickly fell apart – turnovers, bad play calls, dropped passes, missed blocks. It was everything I was accustomed to after watching IU football for sixty-years. 

IU was up 17-3 at one point, but the Wolverines cut the lead to 17-15 in the fourth quarter. The undefeated Hoosiers bent but they didn’t break, never relinquishing the lead and adding a field goal to seal the victory, 20-15, and preserve perfection at 10-0, a historical first. The outcome was hardly with the ease shown in the first nine victories, but this was wounded Michigan, struggling in defense of its national championship. IU Quarterback Kurtis Rourke, a Heisman candidate, threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns, but he got no help from the running game and threw a very costly interception from his own end zone. Furthermore, he was sacked four times and pressured many more. 

Michigan had lost just two times against Indiana since 1987. The Wolverines lost in ’87 and again in 2020, so any kind of a win should have been satisfying. However, I don’t think any IU fan, team member, or coach was happy. The game really meant nothing because Ohio State loomed ahead and only that kind of victory would have turned heads. Beating Michigan was simply a big step in getting to Columbus and a real chance to prove themselves to the college football experts.

Winning against the Wolverines certainly didn’t matter much in the ratings! Even undefeated, the Hoosiers are still ranked fourth in the Big Ten and fifth in the nation. This is because people are used to seeing Indiana as a bottom feeder of the Big Ten, and while IU is a really good football team, Michigan lost the game because the Hoosiers couldn’t effectively close. Is this because there’s a flaw in coach Curt Cignetti’s plan or can’t his front line execute effectively down the stretch? I guess we’ll find out in two weeks against Ohio State.

At this time in my life, it’s better to focus on sports rather than prostrate or back problems. It’s also best to whine over losses than pain, but I’m not suffering at all. Even though the Elkhart Lions lost a tough one Friday night in the high school football playoffs, they are really not my team anymore, having abandoned the Blue Blazer nickname. Besides, the nearby Venice Indians, my new HS team, won 42-8 over Sarasota Riverside to go 9-1 on the season. IU soccer, basketball, and football are on winning streaks, so I’m living a charmed life. On the other hand, Da Bears play today, after a painful finish last weekend, but I’m used to that!

Five years ago, I wrote an article about my Spartan frustrations called, “O for East Lansing.” (See Post #1509). It seemed like every time my football Hoosiers traveled to East Lansing they were crushed, especially if I went myself. The same was sadly true for games in Bloomington, dating back to Rob Stradley, a friend Kim’s brother, who wore #22 for the team. A sense of dread always fills me when I hear the name “Sparty.” I even once attended a pep rally in East Lansing where I was the only one wearing red. Other friends named Craig Cole and Jeff White gloated in victory. I mention all these names because they are weeping green tears today. 

Winning against Michigan State doesn’t happen very often, considering the all-time series record is 50-19-2, but I.U. prevailed yesterday 47-10 in East Lansing, despite falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter. I don’t ever recall a chance to watch our players victoriously spit in the Old Brass Spittoon, a nasty ritual. I’m sure that at the end of the first quarter, Spartan fans like Stradley, White, and Cole were thinking that the Hoosiers were overrated. However, 47-straight points later they were crying in their beer, if they were still watching at all. I was!

Quarterback Kurtis Rourke, returning from thumb surgery, threw for 263 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Elijah Sarratt, and Amare Ferrell had two interceptions Saturday to lead No. 13 Indiana to its first 9-0 start in school history. #10 Texas A&M and #11 Clemson both lost, assuring IU of a Top 10 ranking and spot in the college Playoffs, if they continue to win. That won’t be easy against Michigan, Ohio State, and Purdue.

The Spittoon trophy, first introduced in 1950, had been in the hands of the Spartans since 2007. It only lived in Bloomington a dozen times in all those years, filled with DNA from seasons past. 1967-69 was the longest stretch of Hoosier victories over the Spartans, all three in East Lansing, coinciding with IU’s only Rose Bowl appearance and only the second time they had won nine games until this year. I was still in high school, not yet a season ticket holder, so yet to experience “0 for East Lansing.” I can only hope that it never happens again! Go Hoosiers!