Category: Hoosiers

The baller got away with a dirty play that got Purdue Boilmakers supporters furious

College basketball is a thing of beauty: we get to see young ballers play with pride and passion to defend their colors and try to make a name for themselves, with the hope of getting enough experience to make it in the NBA.

That’s why March Madness – usually mid-March through the beginning of April, when the NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments are held – captures the excitement that swirls around the sports world as the event approaches.

In the weeks leading up to the “Big Dance,” hundreds of college basketball teams fight to earn a spot in March Madness. The games bring the passion and intensity out of young basketball players, sometimes to a fault.

Things got heated in Sunday afternoon’s rivalry match between Indiana Hoosiers and No. 13 Purdue Boilermakers. Early in the first half, a tangle up between Hoosiers senior guard Anthony Leal and Purdue senior forward Caleb Furst resulted in a potential ejection situation.

During a missed shot attempt by Purdue, Leal and Furst got tangled up while attempting to box each other out on the rebound. Leal pushed Furst out of bounds and the Purdue forward seemed to pull the Indiana guard down while falling to the ground.

As Leal got up, it looked like he kicked Furst in the groin. Initially, a foul was called on Leal and it was reviewed to see if it should be upgraded to flagrant. But the refs determined it was incidental and ruled there was no foul on the play. That didn’t sit well with Purdue fans, who expressed their anger in social media.

“Furst might be the nicest athlete in the sport by the way. Anthony Leal is a cowardly b****.” an X user wrote. “As an Indiana fan, I was shocked there was nothing called there. Thought there should have been a personal on Furst and flagrant on Leal.” added another.

However, some users defended the Hoosiers player.”Show the whole sequence. Furst hooked and pulled Leal down, then tried to trip him as Leal tried to follow the play. It was only then that Leal’s foot planted in Furst’s junk. No-call was probably the best outcome for both of them.

0A second-half start for the ages, full of ruthless Hoosier defense and crisp offense, wiped out a 12-point deficit and delivered a 73-58 Indiana victory over Purdue on Sunday night. “They refused to lose,” coach Mike Woodson said. “They did everything from a defensive standpoint that we worked on.”

IU’s 28-3 run in the opening 10 minutes turned a 12-point deficit to a 13-point lead and delivered control the Hoosiers (16-11 overall, 7-9 in the Big Ten) never lost. “We competed this week (in practice),” said guard Trey Galloway, who just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine assists.

Indiana came in reeling with six losses in its last seven games. An eight-day break since the UCLA defeat provided plenty of time for reflection and preparation. “The message was to win,” forward Malik Reneau said. “We knew this was a must-win game. Everybody had that feeling. When we got down at halftime, it was the same thing. We put it all on the floor and you saw the result.”

Sunday’s game between Purdue and Indiana was the second of two meetings this season. The Boilermakers defeated the Hoosiers 81-76 in January at Mackey Arena.

Big Ten Tournament Scenarios: Path Is Simple For Indiana Men’s Basketball

As the regular season comes to a close, the Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball team enters the Big Ten Tournament with a straightforward path ahead of them. After a season full of ups and downs, Indiana has positioned itself well to make a deep run in the conference tournament. With key victories and a solid overall record, the Hoosiers are looking to carry momentum into what could be a pivotal postseason for their program.

Indiana’s road to success in the Big Ten Tournament is clear, and it begins with leveraging the strengths that have brought them success throughout the season. The Hoosiers enter the tournament as a team with balanced play on both ends of the floor. Their offense has been led by the versatile Trayce Jackson-Davis, whose inside presence and ability to dominate in the post has made him one of the conference’s most formidable players. Jackson-Davis’ scoring ability, combined with his exceptional rebounding and shot-blocking skills, has made him a matchup nightmare for opposing teams.

For Indiana, the path to a successful Big Ten Tournament begins with maintaining a strong defensive identity. Head coach Mike Woodson has emphasized defensive discipline throughout the season, and it has paid off with the Hoosiers ranking among the best defensive teams in the conference. Their ability to limit opposing teams’ offensive output, particularly in key moments of games, has allowed Indiana to stay in close contests and come away with critical wins. This defensive mindset will be essential as the Hoosiers navigate the challenges posed by other elite teams in the tournament.

A key factor in Indiana’s favor is their relatively favorable position in the tournament seeding. With the Hoosiers securing a top-four seed, they are positioned for a first-round bye. This seeding means they will avoid the early elimination of the lower-seeded teams, giving them an important advantage to rest and prepare for their eventual quarterfinal matchup. The importance of this bye cannot be overstated, as it gives Indiana an extra day to recover and potentially watch their upcoming opponents battle it out, which could be invaluable in terms of preparation and scouting.

In terms of matchups, Indiana’s path is simplified by their recent success against fellow top teams in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have already faced and defeated several of the higher-seeded teams during the regular season, including big wins over rivals such as Purdue and Illinois. These victories not only provide the Hoosiers with confidence but also demonstrate their ability to compete at the highest level in the conference. If Indiana can carry this momentum into the Big Ten Tournament, they will be a dangerous team to face.

In terms of specific tournament scenarios, Indiana must focus on executing their game plan and avoiding any slip-ups. In a single-elimination format like the Big Ten Tournament, every game becomes critical. If the Hoosiers can win their quarterfinal matchup and advance to the semifinals, they will put themselves in a strong position for a potential championship appearance. From there, the team’s experience and star power, especially from Jackson-Davis, could help them close out any opponent standing in their way.

Ultimately, Indiana’s path to the Big Ten Tournament championship is straightforward: stay focused, continue to play strong defense, and execute their offense through their star players. If they can do this, there is no reason the Hoosiers cannot make a run at the title and cement their status as one of the nation’s top teams heading into the NCAA Tournament. With a clear path ahead, the Hoosiers are primed for success in the postseason.

The Indiana Hoosiers have been one of the most confusing teams in all of college basketball this season. The Hoosiers started the year ranked inside the top 25, but a downward spiral began in January for the team based in Bloomington, Indiana. During one stretch, Indiana lost 9 of its last 11 games.

This uncertain stretch, coupled with the constant rumblings from the Hoosier faithful, led Mike Woodson to feel as though he might need to step down from the program at the end of the season. However, Indiana has since turned things around in the final stretch of the regular season, winning three straight games in convincing fashion.

With the head coaching position set to open at the conclusion of the season, Indiana has begun to map out potential candidates to become the 31st head coach of the program. Several names have emerged in recent weeks, with some candidates being long shots, while others are legitimate options to take over in Bloomington.

One name that’s gaining traction is Clemson head coach Brad Brownell. Brownell has the Tigers at 24-5 overall, currently second in the ACC behind No. 2 Duke. He has led Clemson to 4 NCAA Tournament appearances and guided the team to its first-ever Elite Eight last season.

Indiana analyst Seth Tow provided this reasoning for why Brownell might be a fit for the Hoosiers:

“Brownell does also have some Indiana ties. He grew up in Evansville and was high-school teammates with Calbert Cheaney, before attending college at DePauw. Brownell also spent one year as an assistant at Evansville and two at UIndy,” Tow wrote.

This is an interesting situation, considering Brownell recently signed a contract extension through 2029. As of now, there have been no clear favorites to land the job.

For now, the players are backing Woodson, hoping to give him a special sendoff.

In a stunning twist, Malik Reneau, one of the nation’s top basketball recruits, has decided to stay close to home and commit to the Indiana Hoosiers, turning down a staggering $865 million offer from the Tennessee Volunteers. The decision has sent shockwaves through the college basketball world, with many analysts praising Reneau’s loyalty and dedication to his roots.

Reneau, a highly touted forward from Indianapolis, was initially caught in the crosshairs of a heated recruitment battle between the two powerhouse programs. Tennessee’s offer, a monumental deal that included a combination of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) opportunities, endorsement deals, and future partnership arrangements, seemed to be an enticing prospect for any high school athlete. However, after careful deliberation, Reneau chose to stay in his home state, opting to play for legendary coach Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers.

The decision is seen as a major win for Indiana, which has been rebuilding its program and seeking to reclaim its spot among college basketball’s elite. Reneau’s talent, both offensively and defensively, is expected to make an immediate impact on the Hoosiers’ roster, adding a new dimension to their already strong squad.

For Tennessee, the loss of Reneau is a significant blow, as the Volunteers were banking on his commitment to solidify their recruiting class. However, the $865 million offer has sparked new conversations about the increasing role of NIL in shaping the future of college athletics.

As Reneau embarks on his career at Indiana, all eyes will be on how his decision influences future recruits and the evolution of college basketball in this new era of NIL-driven deals.

First-year Indiana Hoosiers head football coach Curt Cignetti is not lacking in confidence.

Cignetti, who was hired away from James Madison after five seasons, was asked how he sells the vision of his culture to recruits during Wednesday’s National Signing Day press conference.

Indiana landed 10 players in the transfer portal, including former Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke, the 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year.

“Kurtis Rourke knows how to play quarterback,” Cignetti said. “While he’s got to do it between the white lines at Indiana, I fully expect him to do it. I think he’s going to be a great player for us.

Cignetti emphasized that every player will have to earn their spot at Indiana, regardless of their past accolades.

Anthony Leal has typically received the loudest cheers from the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall crowd during introductions since he joined the starting lineup in mid-January.

That’s in part because he’s a Bloomington native and the 2020 Indiana Mr. Basketball playing for his hometown school. But the crowd’s appreciation for Leal is perhaps more so due to his style of play – winning basketball, the type Hoosier fans have longed for in recent years. The best example of that throughout Leal’s five-year college career came Sunday, when Indiana’s season of ups and downs reached a high point with a 73-58 win over No. 13 Purdue.

took a team effort, with six Hoosiers scoring double figures. Malik Reneau’s 7-for-7 shooting and Trey Galloway’s nine assists highlighted the win. In a broad sense, it kept Indiana’s NCAA Tournament hopes alive. But turn to the minute details required to secure the upset victory, and Leal’s fingerprints were all over it.

“He’s been huge,” Woodson said.  “I mean, you expect that. Anthony has been around me awhile, and he’s gone through a lot with me. We didn’t play him a whole lot early because I just didn’t play him. But he never quit working, and that’s a testament to him in terms of how he approaches the game. Now he’s getting an opportunity to play, and he’s making the most of it. You expect that from seniors. I mean, I wouldn’t expect anything less. So it’s a good showing tonight, based on how we played in the second half. So I’m happy as hell.”

With wins in three of its last four games, IU basketball is firmly back in the NCAA tournament discussion.

The Hoosiers still have work to do with a pivotal road game against Washington tomorrow night in Seattle.

Bracketologist Andy Bottoms included IU in his projected field earlier this week and the Hoosiers are now showing up in several notable projections ahead of this weekend’s game.

Before we get to the projections, here is a brief look at IU’s tournament resume:

According to the NCAA’s NET rankings, the Hoosiers are 4-11 in Quad 1, 4-0 in Quad 2, 5-0 in Quad 3 and 4-0 in Quad 4. As of Friday, Indiana is No. 57 in the NET.

As of Friday afternoon, Indiana sits at 55th in the BPI, 52nd in KenPom and 60th in Bart Torvik in the predictive metrics used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.

According to the results-based metrics used by the NCAA tournament selection committee, Indiana is ranked 46th in wins above bubble (or WAB), 33rd in KPI and 50th in strength of record.

Delphi Bracketology has consistently performed well in the Bracket Matrix and Indiana is in its latest projections released Friday morning as a No. 11 seed and one of the last four teams in the field.

Lunardi’s latest projections released Friday morning have Indiana as a No. 11 seed playing in the First Four in Dayton.

What’s most interesting about this projection is that Indiana is two spots away from the cutline. Lunardi’s current last four in: Oklahoma, Indiana, Ohio State and Texas.

Palm’s latest projections, also released Friday, have the Hoosiers as the top team in the last four in.

Palm’s current last four in: Indiana, Georgia, Boise State and Xavier. The first four out, according to Palm: Texas, North Carolina, Baylor and Ohio State.

The Bracket Matrix, a composite look at projections from across the Web, has Indiana in 73 of 108 projections tracked or 67.5 percent of the published brackets.

As of early Friday afternoon, the Hoosiers were listed as a No. 10 seed in two projections. However, the other 71 brackets that include IU have them as a No. 11 or 12 seed.

You can view the Bracket Matrix here.

In a major recruiting victory, the Indiana Hoosiers have secured a commitment from 2025 basketball star Xaivian Lee, who has been described as one of the top prospects of the class. The 6’9″ forward, known for his impressive skill set, versatility, and athleticism, is seen as a direct replacement for Malik Reneau, who recently declared for the NBA Draft.

Lee’s commitment is a game-changer for Indiana, who has been working hard to strengthen their roster for the upcoming seasons. A 100% recruit, Lee’s decision comes after months of speculation regarding his future. His high-flying dunks, shot-blocking ability, and growing offensive game have caught the attention of college basketball fans and scouts alike.

This addition further cements Indiana’s strong recruiting class, giving head coach Mike Woodson a significant piece to work with as he looks to build a championship-contending team. Lee’s ability to contribute on both ends of the floor, particularly as a rim protector and rebounder, will fill a void left by Reneau’s departure.

Xaivian Lee’s arrival in Bloomington is expected to elevate Indiana’s recruiting profile and set the stage for even more success in the 2025 season. As the Hoosiers continue to build a competitive roster, Lee’s presence provides the program with an exciting future and immediate impact potential.