My Hoosiers were in a deep hole, as they faced the daunting task of salvaging their season against Purdue, Penn State, Washington, Oregon, and Ohio State. At stake was a top 15 finish in the conference to at least make the BIG Ten tournament and a potential berth in the NCAA Tourney, all to save the reputation of “retiring” Coach Wooden, the Senior class, and the “Glory of Old IU.”

Magic was in the air as the Hoosier defense held #13 Purdue to just 58-points for a 15-point victory 73-58. Malik and Troy, showing senior leadership, each scored 13 to overcome a 12-point halftime deficit. Reneau also joined the 1,000-Point Club with 7-7 scoring and six rebounds. Galloway made it 60-45 with 6:43 remaining. Could this up-and-down team somehow find a way to get to March Madness? Next up Penn State. 

Myles Rice stepped up with 11 of his 13-points in the second half as the Hoosiers once again came from behind at halftime down 39-37. Oumar Ballo led the team with 20-points while Galloway had 16 and Goode 10. Penn State got to 60 first on a Yanic Konan Niederhouse jumper at the 10:20 mark. IU finally took the lead at 5:51 on a “trey by Trey,” making it 70-69. Maybe the Magic of 70? The Hoosiers never relinquished this advantage and went on to an 83-78 victory before heading to the West Coast for games against Washington and Oregon. They had at least secured a spot in the BIG Tourney but were still on the NCAA bubble with two straight victories.

Reneau, now in a reserve role, scored 22 to lead all scorers at Alaska Airlines Arena in what proved to be an easy victory for the surging Hoosiers 78-62. It was the widest winning margin since Miami of Ohio in December, four months prior. Hot-handed Luke Goode added 18, including a three-pointer at 9:39 to make it 60-42. Mgabo and Rice added 10 each for this third-straight victory. The team was coming together, and Woodson was no longer getting booed. However, it proved to be a long flight home after Oregon took the wind out of our sails. Everything was then hanging on a second victory over Ohio State on Senior night.

These seniors did not let us down but the 66-60 victory over the Buckeyes was not easy. Ohio State jumped out to a 10-point margin with over 12-minutes to go. Trey Galloway managed a magical heart-stopping three with 1:24 on the clock to make it 61-56. His heroics along with fellow classmates Anthony Leal, Luke Goode, Malik Reneau, and Oumar Ballo made Senior Night special. The defense once again kept the final score under 60. The Hoosiers rallied to a 19-12 record and 10-10 in the conference for a 9th place finish. They get a rematch against Oregon, the eight seed, but this time much time much closer to home.