The 2023-24 Hoosiers got off to a slow campaign start, eking out victories over FGCU, Army, and Wright State before being outclassed by defending National Champion U. Conn. and then rebounding against Louisville. In disturbing fashion, through the first five games, Indiana ranked 351st in 3-point percentage and 358th in attempts per game out of 361 D1 teams. Following the Wright State game, 61% of points allowed had been 3’s.

To end the month of November, even Harvard led them 40-39 at halftime, after drilling 8 three-pointers. The Hoosiers limited them to one in the second half and went on to win 89-76. Were they really ready for BIG play?

To get things started in the conference, Maryland went 2-16 beyond the arc and Michigan was 4-17, as they started the BIG 2-0 for the first time since 2018-19. They still couldn’t hit from long range but at least they stopped the defensive bleeding.

Next, in unfriendly Ann Arbor, after a first half with 10 turnovers, Indiana cleaned up its sloppiness as the game progressed. Michigan, typically a good 3-point shooting team, knocked down some critical 3-pointers in the first half, but Indiana’s defense limited them to just one in the second, same as Maryland.

After 18 ties and 12 lead changes, the game restored my fading faith in the Rule of 60. Down 59-53 with 8:59 remaining, Mgbako and Reneau each made jumpers while the Wolverines failed on three attempts. This set the stage for CJ Gunn’s triple, as the Hoosiers hit 60 first with 7:30 remaining and went on to win 78-75. Do you believe in Magic?

I do – and this is further proof of Sixty Magic! Could this be the turning point for the season? It was C.J. Gunn’s fourth career 3-pointer and couldn’t have come at a better time. He hit two of IU’s three baskets behind the arc. Are there many more in his future? We will need it, considering we’ve only hit 34 total so far in 8 games. However, we still stood 7-1 with the only loss against a Top 10 team.

So as Indiana sits at 7-1 and 2-0 in the Big Ten, why did they find themselves all the way down at 65th in the country on the rating service, KenPom — 15 spots lower than they started? Well, their stats sadly proved correct in Atlanta against favored Auburn. Although IU jumped out to a 14-point bulge after 4-straight threes, they quickly faded to a 52-37 halftime deficit. The Tigers made more adjustments during the break and hit 60 with 15:45 remaining. Auburn had 14 threes and forced 12- turnovers, routing the Hoosiers at the buzzer 104-76.

Then, in Bloomington the Magic of 60 fell short against #2 Kansas. Has Coach Knight taken the magic with him? Assembly Hall was rocking in a Stripe-Out atmosphere. It was an opportunity to put the Hoosiers in the tournament spotlight with a nationwide audience, instead they will once again struggle to even get in. The Cream and Crimson led at halftime 40-32 but could not get over that fifty-to-sixty-point hump, passing 50 at the 15:07 mark, struggling over the next nine minutes to finally surpass 60 and what would normally lead to a win. In that same time frame, Kansas knocked down 18 and erased a 13-point deficit. Gabe Cupps eventually made a layup with 6:23 remaining, while the determined Jayhawks quickly took the lead shortly after. The final score was 75-71 in favor of Kansas, despite a career high 28-points from Trey Galloway and another double-double by Kel’el Ware. Hunter Dickinson had 17 in victory and Kevin McCullar, Jr. was deadly from the free throw line down the stretch to finish with a team high 21. 

It was time to regroup with a 7-3 record.