Author: Seth Tow

Xavier Johnson wasn’t supposed to be here. He sat down on the couch in his Bloomington apartment with his mother, La’Kesha, as Indiana men’s basketball was about to take on Kennesaw State on December 23, 2022. Just six days earlier, he’d suffered a broken right foot during IU’s loss at Kansas. The Woodbridge, Va. native was on the sideline three days after that injury, when Indiana hosted Elon, wearing a protective boot on his foot and using a scooter to keep it elevated. The fifth-year senior underwent surgery the next day. In the immediate aftermath of that procedure, Xavier was…

Indiana women’s basketball has found its groove. The Hoosiers took on Nebraska in Lincoln on Sunday, coming off a historic first quarter against Michigan last week that led to a big home win. And they followed that up with one of their strongest overall performances of the season. IU methodically ran away with Sunday’s game at Pinnacle Bank Arena, leaving with an 91-69 victory. Indiana (13-1, 4-0 Big Ten) has now won 12 straight games. But head coach Teri Moren said it felt good to play this well in a hostile environment, but she knows she has to keep her…

BLOOMINGTON — After Indiana men’s basketball lost at Nebraska, head coach Mike Woodson didn’t mince words with his backcourt. The Hoosiers were blown out in Lincoln on Wednesday, and their guard play was one of the biggest reasons why. In the postgame press conference, Woodson said his starting guards — Trey Galloway and Xavier Johnson — were “awful,” and that the Cornhuskers’ backcourt wholly outplayed them. Woodson doubled down on Johnson, specifically, during Friday’s Zoom media availability. Woodson again called the sixth-year’s performance “awful.” Indiana’s backcourt heeded the message and responded on Saturday against Ohio State. The group turned in…

Nearly two months into the regular season, nothing has defined this Indiana men’s basketball team quite like the 3-point line. IU’s offensive highs and lows from beyond the arc have been a major talking point throughout the season. The Hoosiers are shooting 33.5 percent from 3-point range, which is 167th in the country and ninth in the Big Ten. But they do that on just 14.5 attempts per game, tied for third-fewest in the country. That style of play isn’t exactly a modern approach, and requires Indiana to do several other things well to win. But it doesn’t have to…

BLOOMINGTON — Teri Moren knew her team had to start strong on Thursday. But she couldn’t have envisioned just how dominant her group came out. No. 14 IU women’s basketball caught fire to open the game against Michigan, en route to an 80-59 victory at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers sunk their first 15 field-goal attempts — per Big Ten Network, this was the first time a Division I team has accomplished such a feat since 1999. Both Mackenzie Holmes and Sara Scalia said they were unaware of that streak in the moment — they knew the team…

BLOOMINGTON — When Indiana women’s basketball finds a groove, it’s a hard team to stop. And IU did just that on Thursday. The 14th-ranked Hoosiers built a massive early lead against Michigan at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and they rode that to an 80-59 win. Indiana (12-1, 3-0 Big Ten) scored 36 points in the first quarter, their most in a single quarter since February 2022. and made their first 15 field goals before finally misfiring early in the second quarter. IU’s offense inevitably slowed down a bit in the second quarter, but the Hoosiers still held a 51-34 halftime…

As Indiana men’s basketball’s night went from bad to worse on Wednesday, Xavier Johnson’s reaction said it all. Nebraska outplayed IU for much of the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena, and it turned into domination in the second half. With around seven minutes remaining, Cornhuskers guard Brice Williams banked in a 3-pointer with Johnson guarding him. And when the ball found the bottom of the net, Johnson just threw his arms up and then right back down to his side, exasperated. It was that kind of night for the Hoosiers. Fortune didn’t find them, and they were wholly incapable…

Indiana sixth-year senior Xavier Johnson and sophomore center Kel’el Ware are set to return to game action Wednesday at Nebraska, per a report from Jeff Goodman. Johnson missed seven straight games after aggravating a left foot injury in late November against Harvard. The Hoosiers went 5-2 without the point guard, including Big Ten wins over Maryland and Michigan. In six games prior to the injury, Johnson averaged 10.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 turnovers, 0.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game. He was shooting 48.6 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range (on 1.7 attempts per game),…

In many ways, 2023 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall was the year of Mackenzie Holmes. So it was only fitting that she closed the year out with one last big game. Holmes opened the year with a strong performance. IU hosted Nebraska on New Year’s Day last season, and pulled out a tight win in overtime. The forward led the way with 22 points on an 8-for-14 line, 10 rebounds, and five blocks. From then on, in most games Indiana played this year, Holmes was the best player on the court. Her 2022-23 campaign was unlike any other in the…

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana women’s basketball rang in the new year in style. The Hoosiers never quite put the game out of reach against Illinois on New Year’s Eve, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall as the game got later. The Fighting Illini tied the game multiple times in the fourth quarter, but could never quite pull ahead, as Indiana came away with a 77-71 win on Sunday. Graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes has had plenty of big games throughout her career. And her performance on Sunday ranked among the biggest, when Indiana (11-1, 2-0 Big…