Hoosiers Fight On for Another Day: 11-6 For The Season, About Halfway Through

Hoosiers Fight On for Another Day

    I watched it; I was happily pleased, to see Wisconsin struggle on offense and the Indiana men's basketball accomplish what a highly ranked team is supposed to do at the beginning of the second semester in Bloomington: beat a ranked team in their friendly confines. 

    

    Indiana, as many of us know, came in highly touted with returning players such as Trayce Jackson Davis, Race Thompson, Xavier Johnson, and Miller Kopp (former Northwestern Wildcat sharpshooter  who hurt IU when in Chicago). Throw in other returnees and talented guards and forwards Trey Galloway, Tamar Bates, and Jordan Geronimo, plus two highly rated freshmen Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau, and this team was looking to buck some awful losing trends of Hoosier teams past. This was to be the best IU squad since the Tom Crean team in 2012-13. 

    The best, highest achieving IU basketball team in years! 

    We lost to Kansas at their place. We lost to Arizona, not stopping them enough. Both teams possibly top 5.  IU managed to beat a tough Xavier team, and a psychologically bruised North Carolina team. But we get thumped by Rutgers, not even scoring 50, and then the January smash down by the Big Ten rivals Iowa, Northwestern, and Penn State: two close losses and a humiliation. 

    Xavier and Race are out with injuries, and IU was looking like its season is done. Unless.

    Unless we get past a ranked Wisconsin without their star Ty Wahl.

    Ah, 21-20 at the half. And the first five minutes of the second half went pretty much IU's way; the men got up 39-22. 18-2 to open, cruising to a 62-45 victory.

    Some relief, at last. 

    Next are the dangerous Illinois Illini in Champaign. And even tougher opponents after that. Purdue is tough, Michigan State, all of them. The Big Ten is super tough, but IU was supposed to be too.

    Can the Hoosiers stay tough with its depleted roster, until those seniors return, and plug in Duncan Luncombe (?) and CJ Gunn, or Anthony Leal, and get the wins that they need?

    I hope so.

    Staying alive till another game in January, one of 9 total, culminating in College Park against the Terps, who are not shabby.

    C'mon, Hoosiers! You can do this.

    Woodson practiced them 3 hours before game day. Maybe this was a good thing. Like Knight used to do? We hope.

    Jordan Geronimo stepped up big. We need him to be that kind of player, because we all know he is that kind of athlete.

    Reminds me Troy Williams a few years ago. Hone that body on the court, and we can do great things...