Happy Monday, Hoosiers!
Indiana’s men’s and women’s basketball teams went a combined 5-0 this past week and had a handful of tremendous individual performances.
The No. 21 men’s team traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to take on a struggling Golden Gophers team. Indiana had a flawed offensive outing in the first half, but senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis spearheaded the second-half push. The game went down to the wire, with junior guard Trey Galloway’s pair of free throws icing the win in the final seconds. The Hoosiers defeated Minnesota 61-57. Jackson-Davis notched yet another double- double, this time to the tune of 25 points and 21 rebounds. Additionally, the star big man’s six blocks catapulted him to Indiana’s all-time leader in rejections with 233.
The Hoosiers returned home to Bloomington to host yet another team in the bottom of the Big Ten, Ohio State. Indiana entered the game having won four straight and the Buckeyes having lost six of their last seven. Thanks largely to a more well-rounded team effort, the Hoosiers breezed past Ohio State 86-70 to extend their winning streak to five. Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino paced Indiana in points with 24 on 6-7 shooting from deep, and 75% shooting overall. Jackson-Davis’s stats weren’t as eye-popping, but he still recorded a double- double. Despite a piece of the Assembly Hall video board crashing onto the court during halftime, and causing a brief delay, the Hoosiers didn’t look back and raced away with the win. They now turn to a big week that includes matchups with Maryland and No. 1 Purdue.
No. 4 Indiana women’s basketball had an eventful week, beginning with a 92-83 road win over then- No. 13 Michigan. The Hoosiers’ shooting and rebounding were bright spots that propelled the team to 18-1, the best start in program history. Six players scored in double-digits against the Wolverines, including 25 points from senior forward Mackenzie Holmes and 19 from senior guard Sara Scalia. The Hoosiers returned to Assembly Hall for arguably the biggest test of the season so far, a matchup with then-No. 2 Ohio State.
It was a rowdy atmosphere thanks to the regular season-record 10,455 fans. Indiana fed off the energy to complete the 78-65 win. Freshman guard Yarden Garzon scored 20 points —including a handful of crucial triples — and junior guard Sydney Parrish had a double-double. It was again Holmes who led the way with 26 points, a performance that helped her earn ESPN Player of the Week. Indiana struggled mightily in the second quarter, but an absurd 27-6 third frame all but sealed the victory. The Hoosiers turned to another home game against a much less daunting opponent, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Indiana capped off the 3-0 week with a 91-68 win over Rutgers and graduate guard Grace Berger was the primary story. Her 21 points and seven assists were an indication that she is fully back from a knee injury that occurred in late November. Holmes’ 21 and the 17 and 14 points from Parrish and Garzon, respectively, were more than enough to grant Indiana its 20th win of the season. This week, the Hoosiers travel on a two-game road trip in which they take on Minnesota and Purdue and look to extend their lead in the Big Ten standings.
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Women's Basketball Reporters: Matt Sebree, Will Foley & Matt Press
Men's Basketball Reporters: Emma Pawlitz, Evan Gerike & Bradley Hohulin
1 (big story with photo):
>> Indiana men’s basketball does just enough to escape Minnesota with a 61-57 victory
Minnesota missed its last 11 shots of the game after taking the lead with 3:20 remaining.
>> Indiana men’s basketball reaches new milestone at Minnesota: escaping the trap game
>> COLUMN: Indiana men’s basketball looked kind of awful — great win
2 (big story with photo):
>> No. 6 Indiana women’s basketball fends off late push, tops No. 13 Michigan 92-83
The Hoosiers’ 18-1 record is their best start in program history.
>> Sara Scalia’s bounce-back game leads No. 6 Indiana women’s basketball past No. 13 Michigan
>> COLUMN: Watch out, No. 6 Indiana women’s basketball has its shot back
3 (big story with photo):
>> Hood-Schifino, late first-half surge lead Indiana men’s basketball over Ohio State, 86-70
The freshman had 20 points and six 3-pointers in the first half.
>> Indiana men’s basketball’s 15-0 run a microcosm of what went right in victory over Ohio State
>> COLUMN: No promises, but Indiana men’s basketball might have figured it out
4 (big story with photo):
>> Down goes No. 2: Indiana women’s basketball defeats Ohio State to notch third top-10 win
Holmes scored 26 points and Garzon added 20 to lead the Hoosiers past the Buckeyes.
>> Third quarter eruption sails No. 6 Indiana women’s basketball past Ohio State
5 (big story with photo):
>> Berger reestablishes stardom, Indiana women’s basketball fends off upset-minded Rutgers
Berger played her best game of the season in the Hoosiers’ win.
>> 3 moments behind No. 6 Indiana women’s basketball’s 91-68 win over Rutgers
>> COLUMN: Is it too soon for No. 6 Indiana women’s basketball to look toward postseason?
6 (only text, no photo): Trayce Jackson-Davis had a choice to make.
He could either continue with the NBA Draft process — despite being excluded from the NBA Combine after a positive COVID-19 test — or return to Bloomington for his senior season with the Hoosiers. Jackson-Davis chose the latter.
That was May 2022, and eight months later, all signs point to Jackson-Davis having made the right decision — for his college career, for his NBA potential and for the glory of Indiana men’s basketball. Read More.
