When Mike Woodson’s Indiana men’s basketball teams lose, it often gets out of hand.
Saturday’s 85-60 demolition by Iowa was just the latest example of the way Woodson’s teams let bad games get worse.
This was IU’s fourth loss of the season, and the closest of those defeats was the 16-point margin against Gonzaga in The Bahamas. In total, across Woodson’s three-plus seasons in Bloomington, Indiana has 44 losses (with 76 wins). 26 of those 44 losses have finished with double-digit margins, and 21 of the defeats have been by 15 points or more.
This trend hasn’t always been prevalent. During the 2021-22 season, Woodson’s first with the Hoosiers, only five of their 14 losses were by double digits, with four by 15 or more. But over the last two seasons, IU has had more losses by 15 or more (six in 2022-23, seven in 2023-24) than single-digit losses, and all four defeats so far this season are above that 15-point margin.
For contrast, Indiana owns an 8-16 record against ranked teams under Woodson, and a 2-2 record in the NCAA Tournament.
It’s important to remember, however, that final scores tell only part of the story of a game. IU could be locked in a tight contest for 35 minutes and then the opponent pulls away at the end to win by 15 points, or IU could get dominated all night and close the gap to 15 in garbage time. Those margins are the same, but the games played out very differently.
But regardless of how the losses play out, the Hoosiers have just found ways to let things spiral out of control on the scoreboard.
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.
