Jack’s Take: Credit Hoosiers For Continuing To Battle During Tumultuous Season
EAST LANSING, Mich. – When a coaching decision is made mid-year, seasons tend to go one of two ways.
Players and coaches may take it as a sign the season is over and there’s nothing left to play for. Or they have too much pride to simply give up and use it as a galvanizing force.
After Friday’s announcement that coach Mike Woodson will not return for the 2025-26 season, Indiana could have taken the first route and quit after losses in seven of its last eight games, with a trip to Michigan State up next. It seemed unlikely the Hoosiers would upset the nation’s 11th ranked team.
But the Hoosiers have clearly chosen to keep fighting. In Tuesday’s 71-67 win at No. 11 Michigan State – and even in a 70-67 loss Saturday to Michigan – there was no questioning their effort or desire to win. They deserve credit for taking that approach when facing adversity.
“Well, it’s tough, man. They know that I won’t be back. That’s been tough on these guys. It’s tough on me,” Woodson said. “But we still got a lot of season left, man, and I just want these guys to believe.”
One win doesn’t change the trajectory of an entire season or save Woodson’s job. Given their high preseason expectations, it’s still been a disappointing season for the Hoosiers.
They improved to 15-10 overall, tied for 11th in the Big Ten standings at 6-8. They are 3-10 in Quad 1 games and moved up five spots to No. 56 in the NET rankings. An NCAA Tournament bid remains an uphill climb, but Indiana has four Quad 1 opportunities in its final six games, plus anything the Big Ten Tournament could provide.
“We have enough talent on this team, man,” Woodson said. “I just gotta do a better job these last six, seven games, I think it is left, in getting these guys to believe in one another, man. Because that’s what it’s all about. They’ve had a tough go at it, but I can’t let them quit, man. We just gotta keep working and keep pushing each other and see where it leads us.”
There’s legitimate criticism of Indiana’s failure to live up to preseason expectations and of Woodson’s tenure overall. But all the Hoosiers can do at this point is take it game-by-game. And for one night at least, it’s fine to look past all the negativity that’s surrounded this program for months and appreciate a big win.
From a player standpoint, there’s still a lot that can come from this season, despite the coaching change that will happen when it’s all over. In fact, Indiana is not eliminated from anything yet, and a significant portion of the roster is out of collegiate eligibility after the season. How they go out will play a role in their legacies.
That’s true for the non-seniors, too. They have at least six more opportunities to showcase their talent – whether that’s to make a case to Indiana’s next coach, a new school or the professional ranks. There’s a similar dynamic for the rest of the coaching staff. There’s still a lot at stake, and the Hoosiers have seemed to embrace that.
“I think everybody knows what the situation is now,” Malik Reneau said postgame. “So we’re just coming together and trying to play as hard as we can every time we step on the court, no matter if we’re home or away. So that’s what we’re trying to do.”
With a zone defense, Indiana challenged the Spartans to hit shots from the outside – perhaps their biggest weakness – and they finished 38.2% from the field and 17.4% from 3-point range, both bottom-five figures this season.
Reneau played a key role in Indiana’s upset win over the Spartans, scoring a game-high 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He said he was frustrated early on, going 1 for 8 from the field in the first half.
But Reneau took Woodson’s advice to keep going to the rim against a Michigan State team that lacks a dominant shot-blocker. In the second half, he looked like his normal self – before a knee injury in early January provided a big obstacle in his junior season – and scored 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
Reneau embodies the Hoosiers’ mindset at this stage of the season.
“I can’t say enough about Malik,” Woodson said. “Because I went to him the other day and told him he wasn’t starting. It probably didn’t sit well with him, but he said, ‘Coach, whatever you need me to do,’ and he came in and he played his ass off. That’s all you can ask for. It’s about team.”
Oumar Ballo powered the Hoosiers in the first half, posting 12 points and seven rebounds. Indiana’s two-big lineup hasn’t worked in some games this season, but Ballo and Reneau played over 15 minutes together Tuesday and were the Hoosiers’ leading scorers. Indiana had a 16-point advantage when Reneau and Ballo were on the floor.
They had a clear upper hand against Michigan State’s front court trio of Carson Cooper, Jaxon Kohler and Szymon Zapala, which dealt with foul trouble and was ineffective on both ends.
That provided some satisfaction for Reneau.
“Yes sir, because there’s a lot of media going out there saying a lot about me and Ballo,” Reneau said. “So it just felt good to get a win with me and Ballo in there together.”
Indiana returns to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for an 8 p.m. ET tipoff Friday against UCLA, which went on a seven-game win streak prior to Tuesday’s 83-78 loss at Illinois. If Indiana is going to make a late-season run, it has to start stringing wins together. And if winning at No. 11 Michigan State was any indication, there’s still a lot of fight left in this team.
Uncertainty about the future is gone, and perhaps that’s taken some weight off their shoulders and allowed them to rally together.
