Twenty-three days.
That’s how long fans inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall have been waiting for Indiana men’s basketball to win a game on its home floor.
So, when the final buzzer sounded Wednesday night, fans were brought to their feet and given something good to cheer about as the Hoosiers had just defeated Minnesota 77-47 and snapped a four-game losing skid.
“It feels good,” junior guard Nick Dorn said postgame. “Just to be able to flip it around now just gives us a lot more momentum going into Ohio State and on from there. Just giving us more motivation to keep pushing and that everything is right in front of us.”
It was a game not only meaningful to the trajectory of the team moving forward, but to the seniors who played their last game on Branch McCracken Court.
Senior forward Sam Alexis credited the performance from his team to the extra motivation they all felt for senior night.
“I feel like all the seniors was motivated today just off the fact it's senior night,” Alexis said. “Last game in Assembly Hall, stuff with, like, being in March Madness, the bubble and stuff, so everybody was pretty motivated to go play hard.”
Alexis led the team with 23 points off 9-of-11 shooting from the floor, nine rebounds and two blocks. Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson finished with 16 points, while redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries and Dorn rounded out double figure scorers with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
At times this season, the Hoosiers have put together good spurts but fallen short of playing a clean 40 minutes. Most recently on Feb. 24 against Northwestern, Indiana led for over 34 minutes in the contest but were unable to hold on when it mattered most and fell 72-68. However, against the Golden Gophers, the Cream and Crimson gained the lead and never let it slip. Following the victory, Dorn and Alexis credited this to the team’s emphasis in playing in four-minute segments, battling to win each segment until the next media timeout.
“I thought the guys really had a complete 40 minutes tonight from start to finish on both ends of the floor,” head coach Darian DeVries said.
The Cream and Crimson held Minnesota to its lowest scoring outing of the season, allowing just 47 points. Offensively, the Hoosiers shared the ball, resulting in 17 assists, 57% shooting from the field and 10 made 3-pointers.
“I thought offensively they moved it, shared it, really got in some good spots. Got some good looks from the perimeter,” DeVries said.
The win was necessary for the Hoosiers in multiple ways. Not only did it snap a four-game losing skid and keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, it gave momentum back to the Cream and Crimson as they head into the final stretch of the season.
Indiana will finish its regular season Saturday against a Quad 1 opponent in Ohio State. With just two Quad 1 wins, the game will serve as the perfect opportunity to add to its resume ahead of the Big Ten Tournament held March 10-15.
If the Hoosiers can get a couple wins under their belt before the end of the Big Ten Tournament, it could pave the way for a run and increase the chance for an NCAA Tournament position.
Against Minnesota, Indiana did exactly what it needed to do and took care of business. Now, the Hoosiers must look to build.
“Hopefully it's something that just propels you, you know, to that next game and next hopefully group of games,” DeVries said.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
