Pair of Seniors from Indiana Leading the Hoosiers Late Season Surge

Entering the season, neither Anthony Leal nor Luke Goode had clear paths towards playing time, much less the 20 minutes or so they average per game now.

Goode, a transfer from Illinois, was probably expecting a big role at the bench, seeing as how his shooting from distance was something Indiana needed badly, but there were guys in front of him at both the three and four spots.

At best, Goode was looking at being the primary backup for both Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako, though he’d have to earn the role over talented freshman Bryson Tucker on the wing and fellow transfer Langdon Hatton on the inside.

Leal also had a number of guys to beat out to earn a role on this team. Head coach Mike Woodson focused on guard talent and depth in the portal this offseason, adding Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle, who started the first few games in Indiana’s backcourt.

Also ahead of Leal was fellow senior Trey Galloway, and potentially sophomores Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton. Leal had cracked the rotation before, but Indiana loaded up on talent at his primary positions, keeping him out of the first four games entirely.

Over the last five games though, Goode and Leal have found themselves in the starting lineup together. The Hoosiers are 4-1 in that span, with two ranked wins that have gotten them back into most brackets as a 10 or 11 seed.

Goode and Leal, along with Galloway, who has been the team’s starting point guard of late, all grew up and played their high school basketball in Indiana.

Their appreciation not just for the sport, but how much Indiana Basketball means to the state as a whole was why Woodson started them together again for the Purdue game after the lineup couldn’t beat UCLA at home.

“It was tremendous. Like I said earlier, you know, they are seniors. This is their last go. They won’t get another shot at Purdue unless it’s in tournament play,” he said after the win.

With Indiana’s postseason fate still up for grabs, expect Woodson to keep going with his experienced guys from Indiana. They’ve done the work to prepare for these moments, and Woodson trusts them to execute when the time comes.

“Anthony didn’t play in the early years that much, but he still was every day in practice putting in the time and I knew if we threw him in there, he’d be ready to play and do some positive things. All that work that he’s done is paying off. I trust those guys on the floor because they know.”