IU loses the way it's been losing all year; the Worst Team Money Could Buy is likely headed home after Selection Sunday
Also, some thoughts on college basketball trolls and why these young men need to toughen the heck up.
They don’t belong in the NCAA Tournament, not with a 19-13 record, not with just four Quad 1 victories. After a nice late-season run that saw the Hoosiers win four of five games and five of seven, IU reverted back to the form Thursday that put them in this mess in the first place. They shot 36 percent from the field, 25 percent from 3 and – man, this hurt, a lot – just 50 percent (5 of 10) from the free throw line, including two Anthony Leal misses on the front ends of one-and-ones, losing their Big Ten Tournament opener, 72-59, to Oregon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Now, they wait. And wonder. And think about what might-have-been as their NCAA Tournament hopes circle the drain.
Now they campaign for a spot in the field of 68, which is what Mike Woodson was doing in the minutes after the Hoosiers’ loss, possibly his last game as IU’s head coach. (They are not contractually obligated to play in the new Crown tournament, and they won’t, not with a lame-duck coach.)
“I think we're playing some of our best basketball,” Woodson said Thursday when asked about making the case for IU to reach the NCAA Tournament. “This afternoon wasn't an indication of how we've been playing. We've been very competitive. Even in the games that we've lost -- I can go back to the Maryland game at home, the UCLA game, the Michigan game at home -- they were all competitive, one or two possession games. We beat Purdue, had a shot to beat Purdue at their spot. So we've had a lot of close games that we just weren't able to make the play here or there.
“But these last two weeks, I think we've been playing some pretty damn good basketball.”
True, IU played its best ball in the final weeks of the season, turning a bit of a corner after it was announced Woodson would not be returning to the sideline. But a decent month of basketball is not and should not be enough for a group that underachieved in a fairly epic way most of this season. Remember, this team was ranked 17th to start the season and was picked to finish second in the Big Ten. Didn’t happen.
Again, four Quad 1 victories. Some impressive ones down the stretch, beating Big Ten regular-season champion Michigan State and a home blowout of Purdue. But it all came too late to alter the team’s resume in a significant way.
Will they make the tournament? I guess they could. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had them rated among the “last four teams in” prior to Thursday’s loss and “first four out” after the Oregon loss. A lot depends on what happens around the country today and throughout this week. And there are always bid-stealers lurking as conference championship week continues. There will be a lot of scoreboard watching in the IU basketball offices in the coming days. At this point, the best-case scenario would be a trip to Dayton.
Should they make the tournament? No, absolutely not. This was their opportunity to make their case and they blew it, just the way Ohio State did one day earlier. They shot poorly (what’s new?) and got almost no production from Luke Goode and the perpetually inconsistent Myles Rice, who finished a -23 in plus-minus. A 10-0 run to close the first half gave the Ducks an eight-point halftime lead, and then, with the game on the line late and IU threatening, Oregon went on a 16-5 run to close the door. Two Leal misses on the front end of one-and-ones hurt badly, IU having pulled within two possessions late, only to see the Ducks respond by scoring after both misses.
This is a hot Oregon team, winners now of eight straight, as is typical of most Dana Altman teams. Everybody talks about Tom Izzo’s March wizardry, but Altman is right there as well. And they were motivated by something Woodson said after the two teams met just nine days ago, an Oregon victory.
“We came into this game just hungry,” Oregon’s T.J. Bamba told the Big Ten Network. “…We had played them two games ago at our crib and I remember their coach kept saying the foul differential (21-7) was the reason that we won the game. As a team, we wanted to go out there and prove that we wanted it because we were the better team and we were the more focused and aggressive team.”
It's going to be a very long couple of day until Selection Sunday.
"We know that we should be a tournament team,” said Trey Galloway, who’s been central to the Hoosiers’ late surge but sbot just 6-of-18. “I think just those crucial losses that we had that were just so tight, one-possession games. The way we've been playing the last month and a half, we've been playing like a tournament team…”
Added Woodson: “We had some dry spots this season, but I'm going to always campaign for my team. That's how much I love my team. Like I said earlier, we're playing some of our best basketball. I don't think that there's a team in the country that we can't beat if we come ready to play and compete for 40 minutes.”
Yeah, well that’s great, but 19-13 is 19-13, and four Quad 1 wins are not nearly enough.
If it’s over for IU, well, thank heavens for that.
If it’s not, see you in Dayton.
During the post-season, reporters are allowed in college locker rooms, something they should do – but don’t – during the regular season. If you’re going to be professional ball players, there should be significantly more access. It’s a big-dollar business now. No more protecting the fragile egos of a bunch of 21-year-old young men.
Anyway, both IU’s Oumar Ballo and Kansas State’s Coleman Hawkins opened up after their teams’ conference tournament losses this week, providing a glimpse into what it’s like to be an elite college athlete in the social media age.
“You lose one game or two games, and your DMs are crazy: Death wishes, death threats,” he said as he sat at his locker. “We have feelings, you know. It’s like you wake up, go to work and someone is pushing nothing but the worst to you and your work. It’s mentally draining and nobody wants to deal with that for a whole five-month season. It’s too much to take in for players and coaches.
“I hope that changes, man, because it’s time. They’re not helping us, they’re not helping anybody. If you’re not cheering for us, just leave us alone. We have lives.”
Meanwhile, at the Big 12 Tournament, Hawkins, Kansas State’s forward, was awash in tears after his team’s season ended with an early-round tourney loss. Hawkins, it should be noted, made roughly $2 million to play basketball this past year; Ballo came in at around a $1 million.
“These guys (teammates) haven’t experienced some of the things I’ve experienced,” Hawkins said, referring to the backlash he received for being the most highly paid player on an underachieving team. “I really wanted to come in and impact the program. I’m sorry for crying, but shit, this shit hurts.
“I feel like I let a lot of people down. I feel like I did a poor job of letting people talk about me. It affected my play. It was happening all year. I wish I could just go back and block out everything, not for myself but for the team, so we could have a more successful year. This is a learned lesson for me and I wish the best for the future of the program.”
Now I’m going to say something mean and slightly out of character.
Shut up.
You wanted the money, well, with money comes pressure and expectations. You’re pros now, just like Haliburton and James and Luka. And criticism, even the nastiest forms of it, comes with the program.
Is some of it beyond the pale? Certainly. I have no doubt that these players received racially charged messages. Ballo specifically mentioned death threats. But there’s a relatively simple fix here, even if it’s not so simple for the children of social media: Get off X. Get off Instagram. At the very least, shut down your social media, at least until the season ends. I know it’s tough for 21-year-olds, but if it’s impacting your mental health and making you miserable, shut…it…down.
Oh, and by the way, can we stop acting like this is a uniquely IU thing? Honestly, this notion that IU has a monopoly on bad actors makes me crazy. This happens everywhere, especially at schools where expectations are historically high. Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, Louisville. I can promise you these kinds of things are happening at North Carolina and at other “blue blood” schools where the fans are in a constant frenzy. IU has its share of trolls, but trolls exist everywhere and are contained within every fan base. Hoosiers have not cornered the market on nastiness.
As for the players we mentioned, I’d say this: Toughen up, buttercup. You wanted the money, well, pressure and criticism comes with the cash. In the end, they’re just words – hateful, hurtful words at times – but I’m tired of players, especially at IU, complaining about being booed in the Illinois game and being criticized for uneven play. We have entered the realm of pro sports, and the sooner these young men understand that, the better off they’ll be.
And a million (or two) in the bank account doesn’t hurt.
Excellent article and very well said Bob! I think it captures how a lot of fans feel. I have never understood why you can't criticize 18 to 24 year old men. I promise you, and after 30 years in the military, these young adults are very capable of coping with hardship either mental or physical. Embrace the "suck" because life can "suck" at times. At least they were paid way better for less sacrifice.
Bravo! Nailed it on all accounts.
Can't just focus on the end of the season's performance. There's a reason you play the ENTIRE SEASON. And whether you lose by a possession or 20, it's still a loss. Last I checked, wins were what teams touted for their success, not close losses.
Bingo on getting paid and getting off the social media. As philosopher Peter Parker said, "with great power comes great responsibility". You want the money, there's more that comes with that. And there's a reason depression and loneliness is skyrocketing statistically these days. Folks choose to live in the prison cells of their screens. Shut it off, and as the kids say "touch grass".