Malik Reneau tried to console him. Walking near midcourt at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Reneau offered a hug, a pat on the chest and words of encouragement.
But Mackenzie Mgbako couldn’t shake the sting of what had happened moments prior. After grabbing an offensive rebound with 10 seconds remaining, Mgbako watched his game-tying layup attempt trickle around the rim and miss. From the bench, Gabe Cupps stood with his hands on his head in disbelief.
Roughly three seconds later, the ball was again in Mgbako’s hands, again with a chance to tie or take the lead. He spotted up from beyond the arc — not a defender in sight to contest — and launched what could’ve been the game-winning triple.
The ball rimmed out. Indiana fell 72-68 Friday night to UCLA, marking a fourth consecutive loss in Bloomington.
It was the look Indiana wanted.
It still wasn’t enough.
“That’s a shot he normally makes,” Woodson said postgame. “He just didn’t make it.”
Such has been the theme of the Hoosiers’ late-game misfortunes this season. Shots that should be made aren’t. Plays that should be made aren’t. Take Indiana’s loss to Maryland on Jan. 26. Myles Rice was supposed to curl around a screen from Reneau on the final possession, but he stayed in the corner and hurled a hotly contested 3-pointer instead.
The Hoosiers had their chances against Northwestern in a 79-70 loss four days prior. Then had even more chances in West Lafayette against Purdue. Then, against Michigan. Then…
The picture should be pretty clear. Indiana players were not available to the media Friday night, leaving Woodson to try to explain why this keeps occurring: how, in late-game situations, the Hoosiers just can’t seem to find a solution.
“I wish I had the answer,” Woodson said, echoing the same sentiment he’s offered in recent weeks. “I go back to the Northwestern game, the Maryland game, Purdue game, Michigan game — all winnable games. If you win one or two of them, you’re feeling good about yourself when you’re in close games. Nine out of ten times, you make the plays that you need to make.”
For Indiana this season, those odds of execution are far slimmer. Woodson said Friday night’s loss stings just like any other — no more, no less. Perhaps that’s a sign of becoming numb to an outcome that feels all too familiar.
It feels almost confounding that this situation persists, seemingly playing out weekly as the seconds wind down. Indiana had a chance Friday night to build on an impressive road win over Michigan State and string together some positivity in a season that can be overwhelmingly characterized by struggles.
The Hoosiers had a similar opportunity after knocking off Ohio State on Jan. 17. Indiana was fresh off two blowout defeats to Iowa and Illinois. After defeating the Buckeyes, the Hoosiers lost five straight games.
One step forward, two, three, four or five steps back.
“I’m searching as the coach in terms of trying to get them over the finish line,” Woodson said. “I’ll never put it on the player. I’ll take the responsibility. Even though I don’t make the shots or miss the defensive assignments, it’s still my job to get them over the hump.”
What might be the most frustrating part of this for Indiana is that it couldn’t have done much more in the waning seconds against UCLA. After the Maryland loss, Rice said the flurry of substitutions before the inbounds pass created confusion.
Self-inflicted wound.
At Purdue, a failure to call timeout coupled with questionable shot selection made for a losing recipe.
Self-inflicted wound.
On Friday night, Rice took an ill-advised midrange jumper with 12 seconds remaining. It was the type of missed shot that felt apt to doom Indiana. But it didn’t.
“That’s not the play I drew up in timeout,” Woodson said. “That didn’t beat us.”
Indiana had exactly what it wanted shortly after. Twice, Mgbako had looks he’d made countless times before. Maybe that only makes the defeat more fitting. The Hoosiers, so close to treating their fans to a victory that hasn’t come since Jan. 8 in Assembly Hall, saw it slip away in excruciating fashion.
Now 6-9 in conference play, the Hoosiers are limping toward the finish line of Woodson’s final year at the helm. Indiana hosts Purdue on Feb. 23, the last grueling contest before rounding out the season against Penn State, Washington, Oregon and Ohio State.
Prior to Friday night, Indiana was on the outside looking in for the NCAA tournament, though not entirely out of the picture. With a loss that moves the Hoosiers to 3-11 in Quad 1 matchups, it feels like that’s becoming increasingly unlikely.
For Indiana, the goal may soon become simply ending the season on a high note. Woodson is still searching for ways to prevent these late-game struggles from reappearing, and with five games remaining, it’s difficult to see whether he’ll find any.
(Photo credit: IU Athletics)