Category: OLD SPORT SHORTS (Page 5 of 61)

March Madness is filled with Sadness and Gladness, but for the I.U. men it ended early on a sour note. The sad part is that we’ll never see this starting lineup again, as graduation and the NBA takes its toll. It’s particularly difficult because there are no supportive players, with the exception of Xavier Johnson if he gets another year, and sole returning starter Trey Galloway, that made any kind of significant contribution this season. Granted, Geronimo, Leal, and Duncomb have been hurt, while Reneau had to play in the shadows of TJD and Race Thompson. Gunn, Banks, and Bates have been disappointing, so we’ll have to rely on the transfer portal and the two incoming freshman, Jakai Newton and Gabe Cupps, to put together any kind of competitive team.

The BIG 10 once again failed to deliver in the tournament, showing that the talent in our league is relatively average. The Big East and SEC each have three representatives. The defending champion Big 12 has two competitors, while the remaining eight conferences send one each, including the Big 10 that started with eight possibilities. Michigan State in 2000 was the last BIG to win it all, twenty-three long years ago. To be fair, Indiana was the runner-up in 2002 to Maryland, before the Terps joined the conference in 2014.

I.U. has yet to win a BIG 10 basketball tournament in the 25-years since its inception, let alone add another national championship banner. Adding more teams will make this even more difficult, not to mention physically draining after a long season of butting heads. As a fan, I find this all very discouraging. Thinking about next year’s chances certainly doesn’t make me feel any better. Mine is a seemingly hopeless, two-decade-plus case of March Sadness. 

It was a late night for the No. 4 Seed Hoosiers in Albany, but the 71-60 final score over No. 13 Kent State says it all about the ‘Magical Rule of 60.’ In its simplest form, keep the opposition from more than 60 points and mark it in the victory column. By the same token, No. 1 Seed Purdue fell short of No. 16 Farleigh Dickinson 63-58, marking the third consecutive NCAA Tourney year that the Boilermakers have been stunned by a team seeded 13 or worse. Defense is still the key to winning key college basketball games.

I.U. got only 4-points from the bench, but Trayce and Race combined for 44-points and 20-rebounds, earning the right to play No. 5 Seed Miami for a potential trip to the Sweet 16. The Hoosiers got to 60 on a TJD dunk at the 8:12 mark, securing a 12-point bulge over the Golden Flashes. It was the first step to the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2016, reminiscent of the 2002 match-up between the two teams when Indiana made a Cinderella run to the Elite Eight and then defeated Oklahoma, coached by Kelvin Sampson, to get to the finale against Maryland. Sampson’s Houston team looms ahead in this year’s bracket. 

The top-seeded, I.U. women face No. 16 Seed Tennessee Tech in their NCAA Tourney opener in Bloomington. Mackenzie Holmes, matching Trayce Jackson-Davis’ honors, was also named a First Team All-American. The regular season champion Hoosiers failed to win the BIG Tournament, falling to Ohio State, despite a team-high 20-point performance from Grace Berger. They hope to regain some momentum in their drive to win the program’s first National Championship. 

I was out of town for the last three games of the season and had to monitor the play-by-play via the internet. When I first checked the score against Michigan, Indiana looked to be off to in good start on senior day at Simon Skjodt. The Hoosiers widened the margin to 14 at 4:02 before a Kobe Bufkin dunk started a run for the Wolverines and I could just hear Don Fisher saying, “suddenly, Indiana’s lead is just two at the half 29-27.” Fouls were a big issue as Galloway had three and Schifino two. Fortunately, Michigan was just 2-for-11 on 3s, while I.U. continued its season-long struggle from beyond the arc at 1-for-9. the second half for Indiana. The Wolverines pulled ahead 49-38 with 14:02 remaining and still had a double-digit lead at 10:02.  Thoughts of melancholy senior speeches, just like last year, entered my head.  However, the Wolverines seemed to stall on 59, as if they were haunted by my ‘Rule of 60’ and let the Hoosiers close the gap to 60-59 at 6:11. Despite the fact that Michigan got to the magic mark first, the game would go to overtime after both Hunter Dickinson and Trayce Jackson-Davis missed game-winning opportunities. 

I.U. took advantage of new life and scored the first six points in overtime to make it 75-69, but Dickinson’s trey cut the lead to 75-72 with 1:58 left. Race Thompson could have sealed it with12.5 seconds left, but missed both free throws and again with 4.1 seconds remaining. However, his hustle and rebounding became the difference in a 75-73 much-needed victory. He also finished with a double-double, second in scoring behind TJD’s 27-points, coupled with nine rebounds, and 4 assists, in both players’ final home game. It earned them the No. 3 conference seed in the BIG tournament, with Maryland as the first opponent.

First team All-American, Trayce Jackson-Davis and BIG Freshman of the Year, Jalen Hood-Schifino sought revenge against the Terps and responded with 24 and 19 respectively. Once again, foul trouble haunted the Hoosiers, but the bench bailed them out. Reneau and Bates were both impressive as part of the 13-point back-up contribution. It was also the eighth time  Indiana has been behind in the second half of a game but came back to win anyway, a habit we could probably do without, responding to the seven-point Maryland edge. The final score of 70-60, once again supports the magic nature of the number 60. As a result, they got the chance to avenge their worst road loss, after giving up a ridiculous 18 made three-pointers by the Penn State Nittany Lions in Un-Happy Valley.

Sadly, the United Center was also unfriendly to the Hoosiers, falling short to Penn State, missing a third shot at sweeping Purdue, and winning their first Big Ten Championship in 22 tries. However, the 22 total victories this year plants them firmly in the field for the first time in seven long seasons. I was not on the edge of my seat waiting to see if they were bound for the NIT. 

The three-point-shot continues to consistently be the downfall of this team. They either can’t make them or defend against them. Although Penn State only managed 8-23 this time, the Hoosiers responded with a disappointing 2-14 in the 77-73 loss. At the 5:25 mark, Camren Wynter hit his second trey of the night to make it 61-51, and although I.U. came back at the end, Hood-Schifino missed the game-tying three with :09 seconds to go. He finished with only 11-points playing more like a freshman than top NBA draft choice. Trayce Jackson-Davis had another double-double, as Purdue went on to win the Big Ten Tournament Championship in addition to their regular season crown and I.U. settled for the No. 4 seed in the Midwest against Kent State. The Hoosier women claimed a No. 1 tourney seed.

The women’s season has shown very consistent play throughout the year, but with the men you never know if Hoosier-Jeckyl or Hoosier-Hyde will show up on the court. At 26-1, the #2 women faced another ranked opponent with the #6 Hawkeyes. The game reflected the competitive nature of both squads with Iowa edging ahead at the end of each quarter and leading 40-39 at the half. Applying the “Rule of 60,” the third quarter ended ominously at 61-58 in favor of the Hawks and their fierce leader, Caitlin Clark. She then proceeded to hit a dramatic buzzer-beater to win the game 86-85. With this wake-up call to the men, who were in danger of a let-down after Purdue, I felt strongly that they would respond on the home court by coming out strong. How wrong this fan was!

Following the lead of the women Hawkeyes, the men jumped out to early leads of 8-0, 16-5, and 21-12 on three Kris Murray treys. By halftime it was nearly the reverse situation from the first game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with the Hawks comfortably ahead 47-36 in Bloomington. Back in early January the Hoosiers held a 50-40 lead but faded down the stretch. This time, Iowa continued to stretch the lead for a 90-68 rout.

Kris Murray finished with 26-points and Tony Perkins added 23, plus 10-rebounds, and 8-assists, just short of a triple-double. The hot Hawkeyes crossed 60 at 15:44 with a dominant lead of 61-40. They would ultimately make 13-threes thanks to Payton Sandfort’s five. Indiana only hit two from beyond the arc in eleven attempts. Turnovers were not the issue or even free throw shooting, but rebounding again reared its ugly head, as I.U. missed their opportunity to clinch a double bye in the upcoming conference tournament. The high-flying Hawkeyes were coming off an unbelievable 13-point comeback in the final 94 seconds against Michigan State.

Trayce Jackson-Davis led the hapless Hoosiers with 26-points and 13-rebounds, following up nicely after his worst game of the season against Purdue. However, the hero of the Boiler bash, Jalen Hood-Schifino was disappointedly mediocre with 8-points, 5-rebounds, and 2-assists. TJD will play his last home game on Sunday against Michigan, but JHS may not be such hot property after these last few days of discussions and interviews about top draft expectations. He may need more NCAA time to prove consistency with his game. This fan is counting on a better performance just in case this freshman sensation is truly experiencing his Senior Day early.

It was the Hoosiers that came out “Spartan Strong,” jumping to 17-10 lead on a Miller Kopp trey and didn’t commit a turnover in the first eight minutes of the game. I think both the Spartans and their fans had mixed feelings about playing in the wake of a tragedy. The lead then grew to 22-13 before I.U. was outscored 22-7 in the final minutes of the half. This collapse coincided with the exit of Jalen Hood-Schifino after picking up his second foul. Trayce Jackson-Davis appeared to be lackluster without a break and managed nine points while committing four ugly turnovers. 

It seems as if Indiana is not taking advantage of the three, despite their efficiency. Tyson Walker countered with five in seven attempts, while the Spartans doubled the Hoosiers from behind the arc. It was 61-48 at the 8:24 mark, with I.U. failing to follow the “Rule of 60” in an 80-65 loss. TJD finished with 19-points, 7-rebounds, and 5-assists, followed by JHS with 16. The loss was the 24th out of the last 26 trips to East Lansing, reflecting my disappointing “O for East Lansing” fan experiences at Breslin Hall. 

With foul trouble and tired legs, the I.U. bench has provided little support for the starters, offering just one basket and four free throws. Tamar Bates was again scoreless and has averaged only 2.4 points per game since his 17-point gem in the first Spartan meeting at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. 

I don’t like the way this season is ending. Rather than finishing strong and on a roll, the Hoosiers look tired and wounded. With no bench strength, the Purdue five looking for revenge, a rematch with Iowa, the BIG tournament, and the Big Dance ahead, it’s looking like a recipe for disaster. We also don’t know what to expect from Xavier Johnson if and when he returns? If he can give Indiana 10-15 productive minutes a game, it could be just what the doctor ordered down the stretch.

The productive Spartans also dominated the boards, out-rebounding Indiana 33-24 overall. This will be a big factor in the upcoming Boiler battle, the second of the double road test, the first of which just fell flat on its face. Purdue went 11-1 at home in 2020-21, 16-1 in 2021-22, and 13-1 so far this season. It could prove to be Mission Impossible, since no one on this team, including Coach Mike Woodson has ever won in West Lafayette. 

Coach Knight apparently continues to support the Woodson era, reporting to practice once a week. 38-years ago he hurled a chair across the Mackey court following a technical foul. The upcoming matchup will feature two consensus All-Americans for the first time since 1992-93 when Calbert Cheaney led Bob Knight to a pair of wins over Coach Gene Keady and Glenn Robinson. They did not necessarily go head-to-head like Zach Edey and Trayce Jackson-Davis. 2013 was the last Hoosier win in West Lafayette, since then it’s been nine straight Boiler wins, a habit that needs to be stopped!

While the men stumbled, the women thrived, claiming a Big Ten title for the first time in 40-years. They topped the Boilermakers in Bloomington on Senior Day as I.U. star Grace Berger and backup big Alyssa Geary received their accolades. Mackenzie Holmes and Sara Scalia have also been in the program for four years but still will maintain eligibility. At 25-1, their only loss this season has been in troublesome East Lansing, without an injured Berger. Former Boiler player, Teri Moran is completing her ninth year in Bloomington, as the women’s all-time winningest coach. South Carolina remains the only undefeated team left in the country. Thanks to Maryland, the upcoming game at Iowa is no longer a tie-breaker, as the Hoosiers, who beat the Hawkeyes earlier this year at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, claimed the outright regular season championship. 

When the men finally took to Gene Keady Court, I was not expecting what happened, as the odds were definitely against the road-weary Cream and Crimson five. For the first time since 1983, I.U. completed a four-game home-and-away sweep in men’s a women’s basketball. It still seems unlikely that both will claim a Big Ten title, as was the case 40-years ago, although the Woodson team is only 2-games behind with two to go, plus there is also the tournament championship possibility. He did finally secure his first win in West Lafayette as both coach and player in the 79-71 victory and move to 20-9 overall. Most importantly, the Hoosiers crossed the magical sixty mark first on a Trayce Jackson-Davis jumper at 9:55 for a 61-50 bulge. 

Reminding me of Isiah Thomas, freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino proved his worth as a potential NBA draft pick with a career high 35-points. Trayce Jackson-Davis scored just ten but dished-out seven assists, relying on the support of long-time teammates Trey Galloway and Miller Kopp, who each added 13 points.  Zach Edey proved to be a legitimate candidate for national player of the year. There is no rest for the weary in this stretch run, as the Hoosier women travel to Iowa and the men tackle the Hawkeyes at home. 

I

Trayce Jackson-Davis surpassed his coach, Mike Woodson (2,061), for fifth place on the all-time Indiana University basketball scoring list (2,081). After the narrow Illinois victory, his total stood at…. Calbert Cheaney leads the pack at 2,613, followed by Steve Alford at 2,438, Don Schlundt at 2,192, and A.J. Guyton at 2,100. TJD needs just 20 more to top A.J. Most likely that will happen in East Lansing. 

Coach Michael Dean Woodson was I.U. player Woodson from 1976-1980, under the watch of Coach Bob Knight. That team won the 1979 NIT over rival Purdue 53-52 on Tourney MVP Butch Carter’s dagger. Carter was also the hero with two seconds to go against Ohio State when he sank two free throws to get them to finals. Woodson was named to the first team All-Big Ten and went on to win a 1979 Pan American Games gold medal as captain of the U.S. basketball team. His senior year at I.U., Woodson, along with Isiah Thomas, won the conference title, was named the 1980 Big Ten Player of the Year, recognized as a NABC All-American, and ultimately awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball. Purdue evened the score with Woodson, upsetting the #2-seeded Hoosiers 76-69 in the 1980 NCAA Sweet 16. He then went on to play and coach in the NBA, winning a championship ring with the 2003-2004 Detroit Pistons as an assistant during the 2003–04 season.

The number 60 probably means little to Coach Woodson. He was born in 1958 and turned 60 in 2018 while serving as an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers. The Atlanta Hawks hired him as a head coach in 2004, where he served in that capacity for six years before moving on to guide the New York Knicks 2012-2014. It’s now his second year at Indiana University. 

Coach Woodson was undoubtedly proud watching TJD score 26-points, grab 12-rebounds, and block five shots in leading the Hoosiers over the Illini 71-68. It was the senior’s fourth 25-10-5 game. Per ESPN Stats and Info: “No other player in the Big Ten has more than one such game in the last 25 seasons. In fact, the rest of the Big Ten has recorded 5 such games combined over that span.” It took that kind of effort to pass his coach on the list of I.U. scoring greats. 

With the score tied 59-59 against Illinois at the 5:59 mark, I thought about how much this Woodson coached team has tried to defy my Rule of 60. The first team to 60 usually wins but in two of the last three games the opponent has crossed that line ahead of Indiana. Matthew Mayer hit a free throw 16-seconds later and then the back end to make it 61-59 in favor of the Illini. However, they lost in the end 71-68. Last game, Northwestern got there first, 60-56 with 2:26 remaining and went on to win 64-62. Previously, Michigan hit 61 on a Hunter Dickenson jumper at the 5:19 mark, then lost 62-61. Rutgers barely got to 60 at the buzzer and saw the I.U. side of the scoreboard turn over to 60 on a Trayce Jackson-Davis layup at 2:26, leading the Cream & Crimson to a 66-60 win.

The Hoosiers surpassed 60 against Purdue to lead by 11 at 11:45 and held on to win 79-74. Maryland left Woodson & Company 5 short of 60 for a 66-55 victory. You can begin to see how my magic number 60 consistently comes into play in the Hoosier game. Sixty is really an arbitrary defensive goal that I monitor during every game I watch or go to. It seems to be an effective barometer to an I.U. victory, especially if the opponent is held to under 60-points. Wisconsin only managed only 45, Minnesota 57, Kennesaw State 55, Jackson State 51, Miami OH 56, Bethune 49, and Morehead State 53, accounting for seven Hoosier victories. On the other hand, Rutgers held I.U. to 48 in the first game, while Maryland allowed only 55, equating to two losses. The fact is that when I.U. reached 60 first this season so far, they’ve won 18 games and lost one to Iowa, after allowing 91-points, not their best defensive performance. 

If the opponent gets to sixty first, then the IU defense is not doing its job. This was the case in all the other I.U. losses this year: Arizona, Kansas, Northwestern twice, Rutgers, Penn State, and Maryland. Iowa has already been discussed. In those eight losses, the defense allowed an average of 78.2-points per game and the offense only scored an average of 67.5-points. Defense<60 + Offense>60 = WIN. It’s the magic formula for Hoosier basketball success.

College baseball season has started, just as catchers and pitchers report to spring training. Our neighborhood stadium featured Indiana State, Iowa, U. Conn, and Ohio State in last night’s Snowbird Classic, while Braves players are welcomed back to town this weekend as part of an open house. The first Grapefruit League game here is Saturday when the Red Sox visit Cool Today Park, just a mile from where we live. 

I.U. basketball suffered another setback this past week, losing to Northwestern in the series that dates back to 1908. The Hoosiers lost that game 21-18, but at one point won 26-straight against the “Mildcats,” as they were once known, with an overall record of 119-56. The two teams have split the last ten matchups, but it’s a rarity when I.U. fails to win in both Bloomington and Evanston the same year. When this does happen, as it did this season, you can expect bazaar circumstances. All we can do is perhaps look forward to another opportunity to redeem ourselves in the BIG Tourney, although this year it’s in Chicago. 

After storming the court against the Boilermakers last Sunday after the program’s first win over an opponent ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, the suddenly well-respected Wildcats (19-7, 10-5 Big Ten) jumped out to a 21-point bulge but needed a Boo Buie basket with two seconds left to ultimately put the Hoosiers (18-8 9-6) away.

I.U. was only able to score a season-low 20-points in the first half and trailed 39-20 at the break. They watched Northwestern attempt 18 3-pointers, mostly uncontested, plus gave up five dunks or layups and twelve perfect trips to the line.  From this fan’s perspective, the worst moment was when two technical fouls were called on the I.U. bench, protesting a missed traveling call. Here’s how another obviously bitter fan reacted on the Inside the Hall website:

“Coach Woodson should absolutely file a formal complaint to the Big 10 about official Larry Scirotto. He has demonstrated a clear bias against IU in every match he has officiated (most notably the Iowa game and yesterday vs Northwestern.) He is an alumni of Northwestern University school of police and command which is a clear conflict of interest in any game they are contesting and he has a checkered past in which he was fired from the Ft. Lauderdale police department for discrimination in hiring practices. If the Big 10 conference is serious about cleaning up the myriad problems it has with their officials it should start with the dismissal of Mr. Scirotto who is clearly not impartial , doesn’t address issues which may endanger players from certain teams and appears to be on a power trip of his own. Enough with officials like these!”

Besides the team’s gutsy resilience in this game, the most positive factor was Race Thompson, no longer sporting a brace, looking like his old self, while hitting 4-for-4 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line to finish with 15 points. Trayce Jackson-Davis had a game high 23 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two blocked shots after playing for all but one minute of this come-back effort. Disappointment is all I can say for Northwestern transfer Miller Kopp, who in three games against his former team has only managed a total of 11 points on 3-for-15 shooting from the field. Jalen Hood-Schifino added 13-points but could have made the Hoosiers hysterical if his half-court, last-second shot hadn’t bounced off the iron with the scoreboard reading 64-62.

Once again, I.U. lost the critical race to 60 at the 2:26 mark just as they did against Michigan, but in this case the ball didn’t bounce the right way at the end. The hapless Hoosiers had 13-turnovers while forcing only four, but they shot better from the field than the Wildcats (48.9% vs. 36.8%). One more basket would have positioned the Hoosiers just one-and-a-half games back of Purdue, who lost to Maryland. Instead, Northwestern took over sole possession of second place with a chance to catch the Boilers. “Mildcats” no more! The Illini are next on the schedule.