Indiana basketball’s loss to UCLA joins a growing list of what-if’s for Mike Woodson

[ad_1]

BLOOMINGTON — The crowd at Assembly Hall on Friday night was as desperate for a win as the team the fans supported.

Indiana basketball returned to Bloomington fresh off an upset victory over No. 11 Michigan State that gave supporters a sliver of hope.

Could the Hoosiers shut out all the noise surrounding their impending coaching search and make a run to the NCAA Tournament? A series of misses in the final seconds against UCLA may have given fans their answer.

While Indiana fought back from a 10-point deficit in the second half, the Hoosiers lost 72-68 after going 1-of-8 in the final two minutes. They missed their last four shots, with Mackenzie Mgbako coming up empty-handed twice in the final seconds.

More: Indiana basketball player ratings vs UCLA: Guard play steady in another close loss

“It’s a tough loss,” Indiana coach Mike Woodson said.  “We executed, but we just didn’t finish. I thought after they missed the one-and-one, we came back and got a good look, Mack got an offensive rebound, point-blank layup, and we don’t get it. Then we get a wide open three.

“We got exactly what we were looking for on the play, and that’s a shot that he normally makes. He just didn’t make it.”

The Hoosiers aren’t that far removed from the NCAA Tournament bubble, but close losses to Northwestern, Maryland, Purdue, Michigan and now UCLA have given them a paper-thin resume that’s not even worthy of a spot in the First Four.

While Woodson likes to say all losses hurt the same, IU’s pattern of coming up short in winnable games might have contributed to his decision to step down at the end of the season. Woodson hasn’t taken questions about his departure, but the disappointment in his voice was easy to hear.

“If you win one or two of them, you’re feeling good about yourself when you’re in close games,” Woodson said. “Nine out of ten times, you make the plays that you need to make. The fact that we’ve lost them, it’s been guys are searching. I’m searching as the coach in terms…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/indiana-basketball-loss-ucla-joins-051849562.html

Author : The Herald-Times

Publish date : 2025-02-15 05:18:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.