A perfect finishing touch for IU, Woodson and the Goode-Galloway-Leal triumvirate

It was a challenging and sometimes ugly season. But the party isn't over yet. And they'll always have Saturday to remember, and cherish.

BLOOMINGTON – They were not going to let this chance slip away, a chance to sneak into the back end of the NCAA Tournament, a chance to send Mike Woodson off the Assembly Hall a floor a winner in his last game here, a chance to send the proud seniors away on the happiest note imaginable.

“Maybe I’m leaving too soon,” Woodson told CBS analyst Jim Spanarkel after the Hoosiers’ 66-60 gut-it-out victory over Ohio State, another team on the NCAA bubble. “I don’t know.”

Well, I know. The decision to jettison Woodson was and is the right move, the necessary move, but let’s also show the man some grace. Of course he feels he got the boot too soon. I would expect nothing less. This is a proud man and a great Hoosier who was hurt by the school’s decision to hasten his retirement. The tears welled up behind those black-rim glasses, first when his assistants embraced him at game’s end and then later when IU showed a nice video hailing Woodson for his four-year tenure.

The notion that athletic director Scott Dolson pulled the plug prematurely is based on recency bias. Yes, the Hoosiers have played far better basketball since Woodson put his team’s future in the hands of the three Indiana kids, Luke Goode, Anthony Leal and Trey Galloway. Yes, the Hoosiers have won five of their last seven and four of five and they deserve the highest praise for staying the course and sneaking their way into March Madness (presumably).

But this was a move that had to be made. IU is not and cannot be a program that is satisfied barely sneaking into the NCAA Tournament. Mediocrity is not good enough here. That’s largely what they’ve done under Woodson, which is why he was shown the door.

Asked in the press conference later about his comment to Spanarkel on the broadcast, Woodson said, “I mean, there’s always going to be that thought. But you know, at the end of the day, it not about me right now. It’s still about this team and us going up to Indianapolis and trying to win the Big Ten Tournament.”

On this, we can all agree: This was a wonderful day for IU basketball. Not only did they earn a must-win game to make a case for qualifying for the NCAA Tournament (and a Thursday date in Indy instead of Wednesday at the Big Ten Tournament), but all the key characters in this late-season burst had special moments.

Goode never quite found the range with his shot but finished with 11 points and a season-high eight rebounds and played solid defense throughout the game. He talked a lot of stuff earlier this season, but he made good on his promise to turn this year around. After that Illinois blowout, did anybody believe in IU? My hand is not raised.

Leal, the consummate Hoosier player who went from bench dweller to starter in his senior year, provided the connective tissue to this team, especially down the stretch. He, too, finished with his own season high of eight rebounds, and even though he scored just four points, his defense and passion and effort helped guide the Hoosiers on their late-season run. He guarded all of Ohio State’s top scorers, including Bruce Thurnton, Devin Royal and Micah Parrish.

And then there was Galloway, who played in his 139^th game as a Hoosier and has been with Woodson from the very beginning. The Culver kid finished with 16 points and six assists and hit one of the biggest shots in his career, launching a Caitlin Clark-quality three from 30-plus feet, a Nemhard-ian flourish that gave IU a late 61-56 lead. Moreover, he did this while saddled with four fouls, sitting down at 8:55 and returning at the 5-minute mark to lead IU to the victory.

“I couldn’t be more proud because he (Galloway) has caught so much hell, and it was only fitting that he hit the biggest shot of the game tonight,” Woodson said. “I couldn’t be more proud of Trey and the career he’s had here.”

If that wasn’t all sweet enough, how about Oumar Ballo, whose family came in from Mali to see him play in America for the very first time. And don’t forget Malik Reneau, the most solid and consistent contributor on this team, finishing with 16 points and five rebounds.

The story of this day, though, was Woodson, and I thought the school’s decision to celebrate him with a post-game video was a nice touch. A bit awkward, mind you, but nice.

Asked later about his legacy as IU’s coach, Woodson responded, “Well, the one thing I look at is, we’ve been in the tournament a few years (three of four). We’ve been able to recruit players. Been able to graduate players. You know, I just want the program to be successful. That’s all. That’s all I ever thought about when I took the job, and that’s how I feel now.”

For Woodson, this was a full-circle moment. He finished his IU playing career on this very floor, beating Ohio State in 1980 to earn the Big Ten title.

“That’s the only thing that was going through my head throughout the day, and I wanted it so much for these seniors because I knew how special that night was for me my senior year and walking off that floor as a Big Ten champion,” he said.

Woodson was asked if he wanted to use this opportunity to talk about the forced retirement, something he’s not yet done as the season has worn on, and again, he insisted it’s not about him and there’s still plenty of basketball left to play. The Hoosiers will open the Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Thursday against Oregon. And after that, well, the NCAA Tournament looks like something of a lock, but there are a lot of potential bid stealers out there, so another victory Thursday would be quite helpful and might offer them a way to avoid another trip to Dayton for the First Four. But I’m not a bracketologist. I defer here to Joe Lunardi, who had IU among the Last Four In when the day began.

It was a challenging and discouraging season at times. This was supposed to be a team that fought for a spot near the top of the Big Ten. Instead, they had to go on a late run just to go 10-10 in the conference. But they finished strongly, led by the three Indiana kids and yes, led by Woodson. You don’t have to like the way he handled his lame-duck status – the decision to blow off Don Fischer and the radio appearances was weak – but there’s no question he kept his nose to the grindstone and continued coaching these guys to the end.

Maybe he’s leaving too soon?

I can’t get on board with that. But as this era slowly comes to a close in the next few weeks, IU and Woodson will have this Saturday late afternoon to remember, and cherish.