Indiana

Wisconsin loss puts Indiana’s constant ebbs and flows on full display

Published

2 years ago

January 20, 2024

Press Room

Wisconsin loss puts Indiana’s constant ebbs and flows on full display

MADISON, Wis. — This Indiana men’s basketball season has been defined by ebbs and flows.

And no game has provided a more glaring example of that than Friday’s 91-79 loss to No. 11 Wisconsin.

The Big Ten-leading Badgers (14-4, 6-1) capitalized on a plethora of Indiana miscues — another recurring theme. Indiana (12-7, 4-4) suffered its third defeat in the last four games, and its fourth loss in the last six contests. And IU extended its Kohl Center losing streak to 20 games.

Indiana displayed a full range of emotions throughout the night, from the court, to the sideline, to the postgame press conference. And those expressions spoke volumes.

There was plenty of embarrassment. Near the end of the first half, Xavier Johnson committed a needless foul with seven seconds left, and Indiana’s bench wasn’t thrilled with the sixth-year. Director of player development Calbert Cheaney showed visible frustration, and assistant coach Brian Walsh covered his face. It gave Wisconsin two free points at the foul line, right after Gabe Cupps knocked down a 3-pointer to cut IU’s deficit to 11 points.

It was the latest in a long line of unnecessary mistakes Indiana’s made all year. The Hoosiers, on so many occasions, just haven’t been able to stay out of their own way.

But Friday’s most regrettable moment came in the second half, when CJ Gunn was handed a flagrant 2 foul for elbowing Max Klesmit. It prompted Don Fischer to openly express his embarrassment over the airwaves, a drastic step for IU’s longtime play-by-play voice.

Head coach Mike Woodson thought the ejection was harsh.

“In the heat of the battle, anything is liable to happen. I’m not happy about it,” Woodson said after the game. “After looking at it, the kid (Klesmit) put his head on his (Gunn’s) chest. He threw a semi-elbow, I don’t think it was something hard that warranted being kicked out of the game. I can’t control that, he was kicked out.”

But that aspect of the decision doesn’t overshadow IU’s repeated lack of discipline. The Hoosiers have picked up four flagrant fouls in the last four games — though one was a hook-and-hold, an obvious difference from the unsportsmanlike acts by Gunn and Johnson.

And that doesn’t account for the frustration fouls and other poor decisions the Hoosiers have made as things spiral away from them in these recent losses. Indiana’s looked increasingly fragmented for prolonged stretches, and typically displays poor body language during those runs.

“We’ve got to figure out a way to be one on the court,” sophomore forward Malik Reneau said. “I feel like we’re kind of disconnected in some ways, but, I mean, we’re gonna fix that, get it right.”

Given Indiana’s shortcomings, it’s easy to fault leadership, whether on the court or the sideline.

But listen to Reneau face the media after the game — watch him show the accountability many fans are demanding — and you instantly sense how much he cares. You can hear it in his voice. You can see it in his eyes.

And on nights like these, he speaks on behalf of his teammates. The Hoosiers may look like they’re just going through the motions when opponents go on big runs to break games open. But they’re trying. Yes, they make frequent mistakes, but they do want to win.

“We really have to go harder in practice and figure out a way to understand what Woody is talking about and apply it on the court. I feel like we’re not doing it, and that’s when they have the spurts where they go on their runs and it’s hard to fight back,” Reneau said. “We fought back as hard as we can, but it’s tough when you build that deficit and try to build it back. We did it in the Purdue game, we did it in most of our losses.”

For all of Indiana’s problems since Big Ten play restarted — and, to an extent, the entire season — this team doesn’t quit. The Hoosiers have had four frustrating Big Ten losses, but aren’t flat-out giving up. They’ve made second-half runs in all four games. Some of those stretches have come too late, with the outcome already decided — but they aren’t just giving up when the deficit becomes too much.

That, in contrast, does reflect well on Indiana’s leadership and culture. Of course, it would mean more without the double-digit holes, and if the team won some of those games. IU has obvious X-and-O problems beyond the leadership concerns that explain its flaws. But the players keep pushing, even if they aren’t on a winning track.

That happened again on Friday. Wisconsin went on an 18-2 run in the second half, with Gunn’s ejection coming near the end of that spurt. Indiana’s defense evaporated, with constant breakdowns leading to repeated easy looks for the Badgers. And Woodson, amidst that run, sported a look of pure exasperation on the bench. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing from his squad, as Wisconsin took a 23-point lead, its largest of the game.

But after a timeout, Indiana came right back with an 11-2 run.

Things had already gone from bad to worse before the flagrant foul. That moment could’ve helped Wisconsin put the final nails in the coffin. But Indiana didn’t give up, and made the Badgers earn it. The same coaches and players who showed frustration for so much of the night displayed genuinely renewed hope, multiple times, in the second half.

But, of course, the Hoosiers won’t act happy about that. Nor should they, after getting outplayed by Wisconsin in nearly every facet.

It just speaks to the dichotomy of this Indiana team, with so many ebbs and flows throughout the season, both from game to game and within individual games. Big picture concerns like leadership and culture are rarely cut and dry, and Indiana’s situation has layers to it.

IU’s highs this year have not yet been particularly high, but there are enough sporadic positive moments to get fans excited. Its lowest lows have been completely embarrassing. And this season is quickly becoming defined by the constant see-saw between the two.

But one thing that is straightforward: Indiana has not been good enough.

“We’ve got to work. We’ve got to keep working to get better. That’s all you can do,” Woodson said. “I’m a coach. And it’s my job to figure it out as a coach to get our team playing better. And that’s what I’m going to do.”

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Indiana basketball’s Nick Dorn did something no one’s done in a decade

Published

6 hours ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

Indiana basketball’s Nick Dorn did something no one’s done in a decade

LOS ANGELES — Indiana basketball guard Nick Dorn is making himself at home in the starting lineup.

Dorn had a game-high 26 points in a 98-97 double-overtime win over UCLA on Saturday afternoon. He became the first IU player to hit at least six 3-point field goals in multiple Big Ten games in the same season since Yogi Ferrell in the 2014-15 campaign.

The Hoosiers (15-7, 6-5 Big Ten) improved to 3-0 with Dorn in the starting lineup. He’s hit at least four 3-pointers in each of those starts and is averaging 22.3 points per game during that stretch.

“He’s been playing great, he’s really confident,” Indiana coach Darian DeVries said. “I feel like he fits well with what we try to do. I thought the guys did a good job of finding him and feeding him.”

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Dorn, who was sidelined at the start of the season while recovering from a foot injury, caught fire in the second half with 18 of his team’s first 24 points while going 4 of 5 from 3-point range. He was the first Hoosiers player with at least 25 points and six made 3-point field goals in a road Big Ten contest since 2018.

He didn’t score in overtime, but his 3-point barrage opened things up for his teammates.

“Puts stress in other areas, and we were able to get to the rim a little more because they were pressed out on Nick and got a couple rolls to the basket,” DeVries said.

It’s why Dorn played a career-high 48 minutes with his only rest coming midway through the first half.

Dorn was still more fired up about the Hoosiers escaping Pauley Pavilion with a win than his individual performance after UCLA erased a double-digit lead with less than two minutes to go at the end of regulation.

He envisioned a rough couple of days on the West Coast if things had gone differently considering all the self-inflicted mistakes IU initially made trying to close out the game.

“We came all the way out here and have another road (game), we didn’t want the days in between to be horrible,” Dorn joked. “If we didn’t pull that out, you would have been scared for us, might not have heard from us.”

The key for Indiana was quickly turning the page on those miscues. Tucker DeVries led the huddle going into the first of two overtimes and delivered the message everyone needed to hear — “Flush it.”

“We got to find a way,” Dorn said.

Dorn had no problem following the advice as a player who relies on a similar approach every time he comes down the floor.

“When I shoot it, I think it’s going in regardless of where I shoot it or how I shoot it,” Dorn said. “I always just had that confidence since I was little. My brothers used to say I’m delusional. I feel like I live up to that.”

Indiana has benefitted from Dorn’s delusions the past couple of weeks as a team rising up the NET rankings while solidifying its NCAA tournament resume.

“We came too far to let it slip away,” Dorn said with a smile.

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

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UCLA falls to Indiana in a double-overtime heartbreaker: ‘We deserved to lose’

Published

18 hours ago

January 31, 2026

Press Room

UCLA falls to Indiana in a double-overtime heartbreaker: ‘We deserved to lose’

Trent Perry hit a game-tying three-pointer from the top of the key with 1.1 seconds left in regulation before the UCLA men’s basketball team went on to lose to Indiana 98-97 in double overtime Saturday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion.

Freshman Trent Sisley made the first of two free throws with 0.3 seconds left to give the Hoosiers a one-point lead in the second overtime period after being fouled by Donovan Dent on an inbounds play. Sisley missed the second attempt, and the clock ran out as Eric Dailey Jr. grabbed the rebound and fired it the length of the court.

Perry finished with 25 points and seven rebounds, and Tyler Bilodeau had 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Bruins (15-7, 7-4) suffered their first loss at home.

UCLA erased a 10-point deficit in the last 1:50 of the second half but was unable to come up with a defensive rebound in the final moments of the game.

“I’m proud of how we fought,” said Perry, who nailed a corner three-pointer to beat the shot clock and give his team a 93-90 lead with 1:46 left in the second overtime. “We’re on the other end of it, but we came together. Earlier in the season we would’ve held our heads low.”

Perry missed a 15-foot fallaway jumper from the right side as the horn sounded to end the first overtime with the score tied 84-84. Dailey hit a jumper in the lane for a 97-97 tie with 12 seconds left in the second overtime. Sisley missed on a contested drive in the lane, and UCLA was ruled to have touched the ball last on a scramble under the basket with 1.5 seconds left. UCLA coach Mick Cronin challenged the call, but it was upheld on review. Sisley then was fouled on a dive to the hoop, and his free throw dashed Bruins fans’ hopes for a third overtime.

UCLA guard Trent Perry celebrates his tying three against Indiana. He led the Bruins with 25 points.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

“I have no comments on the officiating,” a frustrated Cronin said. “Of course, my staff told me it was our ball. I just watched it on a small iPad and it sure looked like it was off Indiana’s elbow. I don’t know.”

Many red-and-white-clad Indiana supporters were among the 10,066 fans who witnessed the Hoosiers (15-7, 6-5) even the all-time series at 7-7. Nick Dorn scored 26 points and Lamar Wilkerson and Reed Bailey each had 24. Sisley didn’t make a field goal but had three free throws in the second overtime, including one to tie and one to win.

Dailey had 15 points for the Bruins, who were 30 for 34 at the free-throw line. There were 13 ties and 15 lead changes.

“We had some tough calls go against us at the end but we had to keep fighting,” said Dent, who logged a game-high 50 minutes before fouling out on the last play. “We rallied back late. I don’t think our defense was horrendous.”

Indiana used an 11-0 run over a 1:40 span to take a 22-16 lead before the Bruins responded with a 14-3 run during a 3½-minute stretch to take a 30-25 lead. Reed Bailey’s basket and free throw pulled the Hoosiers within 36-30 at halftime.

Reed Bailey’s uncontested two-handed dunk gave the Hoosiers a 56-52 lead with 8:04 remaining in the second half, and Cronin called a timeout. Reed Bailey’s three-point play made it 63-54, and the Bruins trailed by 10 with 1:50 left.

A three-point play by Dent pulled the Bruins within four with 51 seconds left. After free throws by Wilkerson, Dent made a layup, then Eric Dailey Jr. stole a pass and hit a jumper in the lane. Perry’s free throws cut Indiana’s lead to 75-73 with 9.9 seconds left. Reed Bailey was fouled on the inbounds play and made the second of two free throws to put his team up three with 8.7 seconds remaining, setting the stage for Perry’s heroics to force overtime.

“Shots matter,” Perry said of his shot that whipped the crowd into a frenzy and gave his team a chance at an improbable comeback, “but it didn’t end up our way.”

UCLA continues its three-game homestand against Rutgers on Tuesday and Washington next Saturday, desperately needing to win both after falling to seventh in the Big Ten standings.

“Our defense was awful tonight,” Cronin said. “We deserved to lose. We couldn’t score for a long time, missing wide-open shot after wide-open shot. I always say the same thing, no matter what … just worry about defense, rebounding and effort. There’s no magic potion on shooting.”

Notes

UCLA holds the NCAA record with 11 national championships (10 under John Wooden from 1964 to 1975), the last coming in 1995 under Jim Harrick. Indiana is tied for fifth with five, the last coming in 1987 under Bob Knight. … The Bruins edged Indiana 72-68 in Bloomington last season. Before that they had not played each other since the second round of the 2007 NCAA tournament. …
Bob Chesney, who was named UCLA’s football coach in December, addressed Bruins fans during a television timeout in the first half. “There’s nothing average about this place and I didn’t come here to be average,” Chesney said, fresh off guiding James Madison to its first Sun Belt Conference crown and a berth in the College Football Playoff. “We’re about to win a Big Ten championship!”

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UCLA vs Indiana basketball: Stream, time, and how to watch

Published

1 day ago

January 31, 2026

Press Room

UCLA vs Indiana basketball: Stream, time, and how to watch

The Indiana Hoosiers (14-7, 5-5) are on a road trip that includes a visit to the UCLA Bruins (15-6, 7-3) in a Big Ten conference game Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET) inside of Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California.

UCLA is currently tied for fifth place in the Big Ten. The Bruins are coming off of a 73-57 win at Oregon on Jan. 29 led by senior forward Tyler Bilodeau with 18 points.

The Hoosiers come into the game feeling good after narrowly knocking off No. 12-ranked Purdue, 72-67, on Jan. 28. Indiana senior six-foot-six guard Lamar Wilkerson had 19 points to lead the way for the Hoosiers.

Their win helps their case for the NCAA Tournament as they’re on the bubble. Their game against UCLA has even higher stakes as Indiana can make noise heading into February or UCLA can continue make their own case for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Indiana is currently 10th in the Big Ten with a 5-5 conference record and 14-7 overall.

UCLA, currently sixth in the Big Ten, has a 7-3 conference record and 15-6 overall.

The Bruins have won 10 of their last 14 games, posting a 5-3 record in the month of January. UCLA ranked second in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage shooting 37.6% in 21 games, through Thursday, Jan. 29.

Here’s what you need to know for Saturday’s matchup between the UCLA Bruins and Indiana Hoosiers:

How to watch UCLA vs. Indiana: TV channel, live stream

The UCLA Bruins will host the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET) on Peacock. The site of the game is Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California.