Yet another late-game breakdown plagues Indiana way too close to the NCAA Tournament

The Indiana Hoosiers looked like the team fans saw throughout the season that had them calling for Mike Woodson to be fired. The team Indiana put on the court on Tuesday night vs. Oregon looked like the team that “forced” Woodson to say he was going to step down at the end of the season. The team that lost 73-64 to Oregon Tuesday night is not the team that should show up to the Big Ten Tournament or the NCAA Tournament if they are lucky enough to get in.

The Hoosiers played a close game with Oregon throughout the majority of the game, staying within one or two possessions, either behind or with a lead. However, in the final two minutes of the game, after taking a one-point lead on a Trey Galloway three-pointer, Indiana basically gave the game away and didn’t even score another basket.

For a team that is fighting and clawing to get into the NCAA Tournament, not scoring a single point in the final two minutes of a game is a problem, one Indiana knows all too well this season. This is not the first time Indiana has had a late-game collapse that cost them the win before. This happened in their first matchup against Purdue, again vs. Northwestern, as well as Maryland, Michigan, and UCLA.

This is something that has plagued Indiana all season long, and if they aren’t careful, it could be the reason they don’t make the NCAA Tournament. Now, thanks to some high-quality wins in their past six games, Indiana still sits in a good spot based on tournament projections, right now projected as an 11-seed, but they are right on the cusp of having to be in the play-in bracket.

The team right behind them is the team that they face in their regular season finale on Saturday, The Hoosiers will take on Ohio State on Saturday, March 8, at 3:34 p.m. EST on CBS. Indiana has to win this game in order to solidify their spot in the tournament. As said in an earlier story, Indiana can afford to go 1-1 in their final two games, well they have that one loss and have to get a win against the Buckeyes.

Playing a full game will be crucial for the Hoosiers against Ohio State, they have to stay out of foul trouble, and they have to hit their free throws, something they didn’t do against Oregon, going just 3-for-7 on. The buckets will start to fall, but defensively, Indiana just needs to get stops and have good shot selections.