Thank You Gabe Cupps and Anthony Leal!

    

    Living and dying with the Indiana men's basketball squad, it has been an up and down season. 2023- 2024 has shown promise and ruin. I was trepidatious all season, as they would struggle to beat some only okay teams. They were competitive against some decent teams, losing to Kansas closely, beating a few Big Ten teams, but getting blown out quite a bit, especially on the road, but also to top ranked Purdue. 

    Ouch. Too many losses, dropping to 4-5 in the conference, going into a crucial Iowa game. The Hawkeyes are talented and good, but also have struggled. Indiana lost all-everything Malik Reneau right away for the whole game to an ankle injury. That hurts a lot. He scored one bucket before his departure. Big man Ke'lel Ware was sore from recent leg injury, too, but he stuck it out and was huge. He was crucial to win this crucial game.

    In the waning moments our key point guard and sixth year senior Xavier Johnson went for a strong hoop and seriously hurt his arm. Ouch. Two starters out.

    But, as the fates would have it, Anthony Leal, long-time bench warmer for IU and a hero from the local Bloomington South High School team, my alma mater, came through big and set up the go ahead three pointer for:

    Gabe Cupps! He nailed it to go ahead with about a minute to go, 69-68.

    Ware stepped up, and the Hoosiers hang on to win, 74-68.

    Crisis averted. Huge win. We hope Xavier and Malik can make it back by this Saturday, hosting a struggling Penn State.

    We shall see.

    But for now, two lesser used guards came through to be Hoosier winners.

    Thank you. We appreciate the grit and moxy.

    Hoosiers are still hanging. 13-8. Season not done yet...