IU center Thomas Bryant was held in check on offense all night, but with 17 seconds left, the big man hit two clutch free throws to put the Hoosiers up one.
All the Hoosiers had to do was get a stop on defense, and they would walk out of Williams Arena with a much-needed victory.
Minnesota junior guard Nate Mason led the Gophers all night by dropping 30 points, yet when the game came down to the final seconds senior guard Akeem Springs, who had made just one shot at that point, had the ball in his hand. Springs launched an off-balanced corner 3-pointer with six seconds remaining and missed.
But junior guard James Blackmon Jr. didn’t box him out. Springs ran to the rim untouched, grabbed the rebound and made his second shot of the game with 3.2 seconds remaining. Blackmon got a decent look for a game winning 3-pointer out of an IU timeout, but it fell short, and so did IU Wednesday night as it lost at Minnesota, 75-74, and dropped its fourth in a row.
“This team came to fight tonight — I mean absolutely fight,” IU Coach Tom Crean said on the postgame radio show. “I thought they did against Wisconsin. I thought they certainly did against Purdue. I thought we let our offense affect us a little bit in the Michigan game, and we weren’t quite as good, but tonight that was not the issue.”
Crean was unhappy with his junior leaders after Sunday's game against Michigan and said they couldn't look past themselves. On Wednesday night, Crean benched junior guard Robert Johnson to begin the game and gave freshman forward De’Ron Davis the starting nod after he scored a team-high 13 against Michigan.
The Hoosiers played like a team that was fighting for its NCAA tournament life to begin the game. IU hustled for loose balls, created turnovers and played tight defense.
Davis was effective in his second career start, but he couldn’t stay on the floor. The freshman from Aurora, Colorado, picked up two fouls in the first 2:20 and was sent to the bench.
The shooting from both teams was subpar to begin the game. Minnesota started zero of seven from the field, and IU didn’t connect on its first 3-pointer until 12 minutes into the game.
In the middle of the first half, it seemed as though the Hoosiers had figured out their offense. IU went on a 12-0 run to take a 10-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the half. However, Minnesota responded with a 21-7 run into halftime and led 33-29 at the break.
“The result is not good, but the reality is that these guys are fighting,” Crean said. “Anybody that wouldn’t see that is not trying to see that.”
After returning from injury, Blackmon was just five of 21 from the field in the two games before Wednesday. Wednesday night, Blackmon broke out of his slump. He led the way for the Hoosiers with 22 points.
Although the Marion, Indiana, product came to play, IU’s two other leading scorers didn’t aid him. Bryant didn’t get on the scoreboard until 30 minutes into the game, and junior guard Robert Johnson’s shooting struggles continued as he went zero for six from the field and failed to score.
IU overcame a nine-point deficit in the second half and pulled in front of Minnesota with fewer than 10 minutes remaining. Sophomore forward Juwan Morgan stepped up in the time of need for IU by scoring 10 of his 14 points in the second half.
Davis was also a threat in the post down the stretch as he played with four fouls in the final 13 minutes of the game. He added eight points in that stretch, and the Hoosiers led the entire way, but with 65 seconds left Davis fouled out and Minnesota took the lead at the free throw line.
Both sides traded buckets before Bryant knocked down two free throws to put the Hoosiers up one with 17 seconds to play, but for the second time in three games Blackmon missed a crucial box out that cost IU a win.
“These guys they’re doing everything we’re asking and then some. Their attitudes are fantastic, there’s a hunger, and there’s certainly a toughness,” Crean said. “I am proud of them, and I hope everyone else is too.”
