Author: Mike Schumann

It looks like a case of too little, too late, but Xavier Johnson appears to have a chance to finish his college career where he wants to be — on the court. Johnson injured his left elbow on Jan. 30 during a home game against Iowa.  He’s generally been seen wearing a brace on that elbow since, although he didn’t have it on Saturday at Penn State.  That was the first sign Johnson was trending towards a return, and the next clue came today via head coach Mike Woodson. “He did some things yesterday (Sunday) on the floor, not a…

It’s time to put Indiana class of 2024 signee Liam McNeeley on the one-and-done radar. The 6-foot-7 small forward from Texas is projected by ESPN to be a lottery pick in their 2025 mock NBA Draft. That outlet’s Jonathan Givony projects McNeeley will be chosen with the No. 11 pick in June of 2025. Playing on the national No. 1 high school team (Montverde Academy, 28-0), McNeeley has elevated his name on a roster full of future NBA players.  His teammate Cooper Flagg is the projected overall No. 1 pick by ESPN in 2025. McNeeley is Indiana’s lone signee in…

Losers of eight of their last ten games, Indiana appears on track to finish with an overall losing record for just the 18th time in the last 100 years. But peeling back the onion a bit, things are even worse than just the basic won/loss record. Holistically, analytics site KenPom.com says Indiana is the No. 105 team in the nation as of Sunday evening based on adjusted efficiency margin (difference between a team’s offensive and defensive efficiency).  For context, there are only 82 high major college basketball programs. Adjusted efficiency margin has become an important part of the formula used…

The lows just keep getting lower. No one led by more than four through the first 19 minutes of the game.  But a personal 8-0 run by Penn State’s Ace Baldwin, Jr. gave the Lions a 40-32 edge with :25 seconds left in the first half.  IU cut that deficit to two, 56-54 with 10:06 remaining in the game, but PSU responded with seven unanswered, and the Hoosiers would never get closer than six. Let’s take a deeper look at how IU lost 83-74 with another edition of The Report Card. Indiana (14-13, 6-10) will next host Wisconsin on Tuesday…

Indiana lost to Penn State on Saturday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center by a final score of 83-74. Penn State led at halftime 40-33.  Indiana was led in the game by Malik Reneau with 27 points. The three keys to the game, highlights and expanded stats are below. Transcript:  Mike Woodson’s postgame comments Indiana (14-13, 6-10) will return to action on Tuesday when they host Wisconsin. THREE KEYS TO THE GAME 1. Threes and frees, rinse and repeat.  You’ve heard this story many times before.  Indiana didn’t make a three until there was 1:35 left in the game, and…

Indiana is going to be back in offseason roster building mode sooner than many expected. Who will be leading those efforts for IU has become a popular topic of conversation lately, but irrespective of the answer to the question, it’s time to take a look at where IU players are projecting in the 2024 NBA Draft after several updates by national outlets this week. The player to watch on Indiana’s roster is obviously sophomore Kel’el Ware.  The 7-foot center is averaging 15.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks for IU while shooting 56.7 percent from the field overall, including 43.3…

When it came to Larry Bird’s short stint at Indiana University, there was a lot regret. And after he went on to a Naismith Hall of Fame career that included three NBA most valuable player awards, that’s understandable. The basketball legend arrived in Bloomington in the summer of 1974 from French Lick, Ind.  But in a flash, it was over. According to official records, Bird matriculated at IU on August 26, 1974 and withdrew on September 18, 1974. “Quinn (Buckner) to this day says to me, the thing that he regrets most is that when you first went down to…

How much longer do we have to do this? IU started the game like they had better things to do.  Nebraska opened with a 5-0 lead.  Then it was 16-8, then 22-11, then 40-22.  The Hoosiers were putting up very little resistance.  The Cornhusker lead expanded to 53-31 when they executed an alley-oop to open the second half.  And then, as if Superman was notified of the crime, IU went on a 25-6 run in less than eight minutes.  But alas there was no Superman, and no happy ending in Bloomington. Let’s take a deeper look at how IU lost…

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana lost to Nebraska on Wednesday evening at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall by a final score of 85-70. Nebraska led 51-31 at halftime.  The Hoosiers were led in the game by Mackenzie Mgbako with 22 points. The three keys to the game, highlights and final stats are below. See also:  Woodson, Mgbako and Galloway discuss the loss. Indiana (14-12, 6-9) will next travel to Penn State on Saturday. THREE KEYS TO THE GAME 1. A massive first half hole.  Indiana fell behind 40-22 with 6:01 left in the first half, and the deficit swelled to 22 in the…

Class of 2024 consensus top-30 center Derik Queen has committed to Maryland, he announced on Wednesday afternoon. The announcement by Queen ends a more than two-year recruitment by the Indiana staff. Queen visited Indiana twice with his friend and Montverde Academy teammate Liam McNeeley, who signed a national letter of intent with IU in November. McNeeley remains Indiana’s only signee or commit in the class of 2024. At this point, Indiana knows for sure they are losing Xavier Johnson and Anthony Walker after this season to eligibility, and it appears likely Kel’el Ware will leave for the NBA.  The Hoosiers…