BLOOMINGTON — The crowd at Assembly Hall on Friday night was as desperate for a win as the team the fans supported.
Indiana basketball returned to Bloomington fresh off an upset victory over No. 11 Michigan State that gave supporters a sliver of hope.
Could the Hoosiers shut out all the noise surrounding their impending coaching search and make a run to the NCAA Tournament? A series of misses in the final seconds against UCLA may have given fans their answer.
While Indiana fought back from a 10-point deficit in the second half, the Hoosiers lost 72-68 after going 1-of-8 in the final two minutes. They missed their last four shots, with Mackenzie Mgbako coming up empty-handed twice in the final seconds.
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“It’s a tough loss,” Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. “We executed, but we just didn’t finish. I thought after they missed the one-and-one, we came back and got a good look, Mack got an offensive rebound, point-blank layup, and we don’t get it. Then we get a wide open three.
“We got exactly what we were looking for on the play, and that’s a shot that he normally makes. He just didn’t make it.”
The Hoosiers aren’t that far removed from the NCAA Tournament bubble, but close losses to Northwestern, Maryland, Purdue, Michigan and now UCLA have given them a paper-thin resume that’s not even worthy of a spot in the First Four.
While Woodson likes to say all losses hurt the same, IU’s pattern of coming up short in winnable games might have contributed to his decision to step down at the end of the season. Woodson hasn’t taken questions about his departure, but the disappointment in his voice was easy to hear.
“If you win one or two of them, you’re feeling good about yourself when you’re in close games,” Woodson said. “Nine out of ten times, you make the plays that you need to make. The fact that we’ve lost them, it’s been guys are searching. I’m searching as the coach in terms of trying to get them over the finish line.”
That search started in Evanston where IU’s lack of focus in the second half led to giving up a season-high 13 made 3-pointers. Northwestern flipped the game on its head with a 21-4 run that stunned the Hoosiers.
Against Maryland and Purdue, Woodson’s team came up empty-handed after leading in the final minute, and Indiana’s poor execution down the stretch created dismay among the fan base.
The Michigan loss followed the same general arc as Friday night’s game against the Bruins. The Hoosiers spotted their opponent a double-digit lead only to have their comeback come up short.
When Woodson was asked why IU hasn’t been able to close out close games this season, he responded with an all-too common refrain that highlights why a reset in Bloomington was in the best interest for all parties involved.
“I wish I had the answer,” Woodson said, with a shake of his head.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: IU basketball’s loss to UCLA joins list of what-if’s for Mike Woodson
