Author: Mike Schumann

Indiana had three class of 2026 prospects on campus over the weekend, and all three received scholarship offers. The three high school sophomores to be offered by Mike Woodson and the IU staff were Jalen Montonati, Anthony Thompson and Alex Smith. Montonati, pictured above, is a consensus national top-20 prospect and a 5-star according to multiple outlets.  For more background on the 6-foot-7 Oklahoma product, go to our brief profile from last week. The 6-foot-7 Thompson hails from Lebanon, Ohio.  The wing is averaging 15.1 points and 8.1 rebounds while shooting 48.7 percent overall and 29.7 percent from three.  He…

When Indiana hired then 62-year-old Mike Woodson, it logically never felt like a long-term solution. Would he coach for five years, 10 or 15?  That wasn’t clear, but because of his age when he took the job, Woodson was never going to be a generational coach at Indiana. So just how long the former IU star might run the show has always been a subject of curiosity since he was hired in March of 2021. And of course, how long Woodson coaches is not entirely within his control.  At 14-11 this season, the program’s current trajectory is one that coaches…

Indiana is well aware the uniforms worn by the basketball team on Sunday afternoon against Northwestern were unpopular in the eyes of a significant portion of the fan base. Count coach Mike Woodson in the group of people who prefers IU’s traditional look.  But the third-year leader of the men’s basketball program says he didn’t have a voice when it came to the attire worn by his team over the weekend. “I have no control over that. I’m about wearing our white uniforms at home like we’ve done for 40 something years when I was here,” Woodson told radio voice…

It will almost certainly be too late to salvage Indiana’s NCAA Tournament hopes, but coach Mike Woodson confirmed on Monday night sixth-year guard Xavier Johnson is expected to return from injury before the 2023-24 season concludes. “We’re hoping maybe in the next week or two he’ll back — we hope,” Woodson told Don Fischer on their radio show. “And if that’s so, that’ll give us an opportunity to have him at least in the last three or four games and get ready for the Big Ten Tournament.” The 6-foot-3 Johnson has missed IU’s last four games with an elbow injury…

Indiana looks like a team just playing out the string now. The Hoosiers took a 12-11 over Northwestern with 10:56 left in the first half Sunday afternoon, but the Wildcats went on a 19-7 run from there to open up an 11-point advantage late in the first.  IU pulled to within one on two separate occasions in the second half, including 43-42 with 12:52 left.  But a 20-5 Northwestern run from that point, capped off by eight straight from Boo Buie, put the game out of reach. Let’s take a deeper look at how IU lost 76-72 with another edition…

Watch as IU basketball coach Mike Woodson discusses a 76-72 loss to Northwestern on Sunday afternoon. Joining Woodson for the postgame press conference were IU players Gabe Cupps and Kel’el Ware. See also:  Three keys, highlights, final stats https://youtu.be/JfbTNy3na54 https://youtu.be/AbLBosdDK-w For complete coverage of IU basketball, GO HERE.     The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly” Find us on Facebook:  thedailyhoosier You can follow us on Twitter:  @daily_hoosier Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana lost to Northwestern in Bloomington on Sunday afternoon by a final score of 76-72. Northwestern led at halftime 34-26.  The Hoosiers were led in the game by Kel’el Ware with 22 points.  Mackenzie Mgbako added a career-high 20. The three keys to the game, highlights and expanded stats are below. See also:  Woodson, Cupps and Ware discuss the game Indiana (14-11, 6-8) will next host Nebraska on Wednesday evening. THREE KEYS TO THE GAME 1. Northwestern gets more shots. A combination of low Northwestern turnovers (3) and high offensive rebounds (14) led to the Wildcats attempting 12…

When things aren’t going well, everything and everyone is a potential target for a fan base starving for sustained success. Indiana has the wrong shoe deal they say, even though Kansas just won the national title wearing Adidas, and Wisconsin routinely beats IU wearing Under Armour. When players struggle shooting threes or free throws, fans insist it is because the players don’t get extra shots up in the gym.  Do they even practice shooting, they ask. Even trainer Clif Marshall catches strays when someone sprains an ankle.  The players lift weights like football players they say, even though there’s no…

Illinois based safety Garrett Reese announced a commitment to Indiana on Friday afternoon. The 6-foot-2 Elmhurst, Ill. product (Nazareth Academy) visited IU earlier this month and the staff offered at that time. According to 247Sports, Reese is a 3-star prospect and the No. 141 athlete in his class. “I love Coach Cig’s commitment to winning and turning around the program,” Reese told national 247Sports reporter Steve Wiltfong. “I love the way the strength coach develops his players and I love that they bet on me. They truly wanted me and at the end of the day that what is comes…

Class of 2025 forward Bryson Tiller was in Indianapolis on Thursday evening playing games with the Overtime Elite program. The 6-foot-9 and 240-pound Tiller is averaging 12.2 points and 9.4 rebounds at Atlanta-based Overtime Elite. A consensus national top-15 prospect in the class of 2025, Tiller visited Indiana in December when the Hoosiers hosted Kansas. The Daily Hoosier and other outlets caught up with Tiller.  Here’s a transcript of the media Q&A on Thursday evening in Indianapolis. Q. Bryson what was it like to come to Indianapolis and play in front of such a big crowd tonight? Tiller – It…