Author: Seth Tow

MINNEAPOLIS — Mike Woodson knew it was coming. His Indiana men’s basketball team had just defeated Minnesota, 70-58, Wednesday night at Williams Arena. The Hoosiers — left for dead not long ago, with growing concerns over whether they’d win even one more game this season — have now pulled out three straight victories. But after the game, in front of a small local media contingent that traveled to Minneapolis, Woodson knew what he’d eventually be asked about. Hours before tipoff, reports surfaced — first by IndyStar, and later confirmed by The Daily Hoosier — that Woodson will return next season as…

Early in the season, as Mackenzie Mgbako had some initial trouble settling in at the collegiate level, Indiana head men’s basketball coach Mike Woodson preached patience. He repeatedly advised fans and media alike to give the five-star freshman time, reminding everyone that not all touted recruits come to college and immediately thrive. That was definitely the case for Mgbako. Through his first five games with IU, he shot just 32 percent from the field and 7.7 percent from 3-point range for 5.0 points per game. Mgbako still has room to improve, but he’s made a lot of progress. “For a…

Mackenzie Holmes and Sara Scalia have earned first team All-Big Ten honors, selected by both the media and the coaches. Holmes was selected unanimously for her third career first-team honor. She led Indiana with 20.7 points, 7.1 rebounds per game, and 1.5 blocks per game. The graduate student shot 67 percent from the field. This was Scalia’s first-ever first-team selection. She was named to the All-Big Ten second team in 2021-22, her final season at Minnesota, but never the first team before this season. The fifth-year averaged 16.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, and she shot 43.8…

Heading into the Big Ten Tournament, Indiana women’s basketball has two major question marks. After both Mackenzie Holmes and Lilly Meister suffered injuries on Sunday against Maryland, the status of both post players is of utmost concern for IU going to Minneapolis. The Hoosiers are the No. 3 seed, so they won’t play until Friday — against either No. 14 seed Rutgers, No. 11 seed Minnesota, or No. 6 seed Michigan. Holmes left Sunday’s game with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter after bumping knees with a Maryland defender — the same knee she’s had problems with at the end…

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Despite all the basketball Mackenzie Mgbako has played in his life, he’d never had a four-point play. That changed on Sunday. During a second-half run against Maryland, Xavier Johnson shoveled a pass over to the freshman near the corner in front of the IU bench. Terps forward Julian Reese knocked Mgbako down during his follow-through, and the shot fell. The New Jersey native yelled from the ground as his teammates swarmed him going into a media timeout. That was Indiana’s 10th straight made field goal, during a streak that reached 12. And it cut Maryland’s lead…

One of the few constants of this Indiana men’s basketball season has been the team’s fight. The Hoosiers have had so much go wrong this season, from injuries to ineffective play. But even when facing lopsided deficits, they’ve shown resolve in nearly every game. IU’s made second-half runs in so many games that still ended up double-digit losses. Against Wisconsin on Tuesday, that fight extended through the entire contest. With the way things turned from bad to worse in February, there were plenty of reasons the Hoosiers could’ve packed it in and just gone through the motions for the rest…

As Indiana women’s basketball debriefed from a blowout November loss at Stanford, head coach Teri Moren wanted an answer from her players. The Hoosiers fell flat in their second game of the year, suffering their most lopsided defeat in seven seasons. And in a team huddle after returning to Bloomington, Moren asked a simple question. “What is it? You guys tell me. What is it?” After hearing that, Chloe Moore-McNeil couldn’t hold it in. The Greenfield, Tenn. native knew what needed to be said, and she had to get it off her chest. “Guys, we’re soft right now. Let’s keep…

BLOOMINGTON — Deep in the throes of a woeful season seemingly getting worse with each passing game, Indiana men’s basketball experienced a night unlike most others this year. It’s not just that the Hoosiers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 74-70 victory over Wisconsin on Tuesday. It’s what transpired both inside and outside of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall that led to the result. Kel’el Ware caught fire and rode it to one of IU’s strongest individual performances of the season. And as that played out, Assembly Hall dealt with an actual fire scare. ‘The best player on the floor’ Ware…

Facing the team with the second-worst record in the Big Ten, Indiana women’s basketball couldn’t afford a slip-up on Tuesday. And the Hoosiers got the job done, rolling to an 84-64 win over Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill. Indiana (23-4, 14-3 Big Ten) shot 7 for 21 from 3-point range in the contest, while Northwestern (8-20, 3-14) went just 2 for 12. The Hoosiers leaned on a big advantage on the boards, out-rebounding the Wildcats 41-27. IU led at halftime, 43-33. The Hoosiers never quite broke the game completely open in the first half, though they led by as…

Mike Woodson is facing reality. He entered the job as Indiana’s head men’s basketball coach in 2021 confident in his coaching abilities. He’d experienced both success and failure at the NBA level, and thought that experience could pay dividends and help him thrive in the collegiate ranks. He experienced some success in his first two years in Bloomington, leading IU to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in five years. But in just about every way, his third season has been an unmitigated disaster. Saturday’s 83-74 loss to Penn State only further perpetuated that situation. The Hoosiers faced…