IU head men’s basketball coach Mike Woodson has been dialing things up at halftime.
One of the biggest keys to Indiana’s turnaround this season has been its performances in second halves. IU has become a second-half team since the beginning of February. The Hoosiers have scored more points in the second half than the first half in seven of the nine games since that point, and they’ve recorded a 7-1-1 record in second-half scoring in those games.
The Hoosiers trailed Ohio State 29-25 at halftime on Saturday, after shooting 30 percent from the field and 11.1 percent from 3-point range in the first half. IU outscored the Buckeyes 41-31 in the second half, and those shooting percentages increased to 41.7 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc.
That’s been par for the course since the start of February. Even in defeats to Wisconsin, Michigan, and UCLA, Indiana played much better in the second half, turning double-digit deficits to the Wolverines and Bruins into close games.
It’s a testament to the fight and resilience this team has shown in reviving a once-lost season.
“We’ve always known we have what it takes in the locker room,” Luke Goode said after the Ohio State game. “We have the guys with the right mentality, and coaches have really put a lot of trust in us; a lot of times in the huddles we’re calling the plays, helping Coach out and telling him what we see. When we have a collective effort from everybody involved, coaches, guys that are in the rotation, out of the rotation, walk-ons, it all comes together to be something good. Since that moment (the Illinois game), we have all come together really well.”
The west coast trip proved an exception to this trend, in two different ways. IU jumped all over Washington in the first half and built a big lead, so the second half was just a cruise to the finish line. And the Hoosiers just couldn’t get it going after halftime at Oregon.
But on the whole, Indiana has been coming out of the locker room after halftime with renewed energy and drive.
This was most obvious during the upset win over Purdue in Bloomington. The Boilermakers closed the first half on a 23-4 run over the final 8:39 and went to the break ahead by 12 points. But Indiana dominated the second half in a stunning turnaround, earning its biggest win of the season.
“We knew coming in that this was a must-win game. Everybody had that feeling, and was ready to go for the game,” Malik Reneau said after the Purdue game. “I mean, when we got down and we were at halftime, it (the message) was the same thing. Just go out there and put your all out on the floor and let’s see the results, and it came out our way.”
Indiana will look to carry its resurgent run this season into the Big Ten Tournament starting Thursday against Oregon. The second half of the games in Indianapolis could help determine this team’s postseason fate.
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