2024 In Review: The Best And Worst Memories Of Indiana Men’s Basketball

To say Indiana was up and down is an understatement. There were some low lows, but mixed in were some positive moments.

Indiana's Mike Woodson watches during the Indiana versus Minnesota men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – My Hoosiers On SI Year In Review stories conclude with the toughest one of them all – the 2024 that was for the Indiana men’s basketball team.

The Hoosiers are not ending the year on a high note. Though Indiana exits the 2024 portion of its 2024-25 schedule with a 10-3 record, a vocal portion of the Hoosiers fanbase is not satisfied. Indiana has not done well against quality opponents and has gotten by against lesser foes. Indiana doesn’t have the feel of a team making positive strides.

That comes on the back of a disappointing 19-14 record in the 2023-24 season, which underwhelmed everyone. There was no NCAA Tournament bid for the Hoosiers, and they didn’t deserve it.

I combined Indiana’s best moments (yes, there were some) and worst moments into one story. Read on to see if you agree or have your own moments of glory and infamy in a rough 2024 for the Hoosiers.

Best Memories

3. Anthony Leal Emerges

Indiana's Anthony Leal (3) runs the offense during the first half of the Indiana versus Iowa men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

When you look at a list of Anthony Leal’s career games, his playing time dried up during his injury marred 2022-23 season. Deep into January 2024, Leal was the seemingly forgotten man. He had only appeared in six games up to Jan. 27 and only played double-digit minutes twice up until then. All of this on an Indiana team starving for guard help.

After a solid 16-minute performance in a loss at Illinois on Jan. 27, Leal emerged like a butterfly from a cocoon in a Jan. 30 home game against Iowa. Leal scored 13 points and had seven rebounds in Indiana’s 74-68 victory. A popular local hero from Bloomington, Ind., Leal made 3 of 4 from 3-point range, all greeted with loud cheers from the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall faithful.

Having proven himself to coach Mike Woodson, Leal stayed in the rotation for the rest of the season. He hit the go-ahead shot at Ohio State on Feb. 6 and converted a put back off a Malik Reneau miss with five seconds left to help the Hoosiers defeat Penn State 61-59 in the Big Ten Tournament.

2. Indiana Rallies To Beat Ohio State

Indiana Hoosiers guard Trey Galloway (32) reacts after drawing a foul during the second half of the men s basketball game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena. Ohio State lost 76-73. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

When the Hoosiers traveled to Columbus to visit the Buckeyes on Feb. 6, it's instructive to remember the state of the Hoosiers at the time. The Hoosiers had not won consecutive games since late December, they were coming off of a 14-point home loss to Penn State and were 5-6 in the Big Ten.

When the Hoosiers fell behind by 18 to the struggling Buckeyes? It seemed Indiana was working hard to plum new depths in a disappointing season.

Trey Galloway, Reneau and Leal would not allow that to happen.

Galloway scored 19 of his 25 points and Reneau scored 16 of his 26 points in the second half as the Hoosiers stormed back to catch the Buckeyes, taking the lead with just under three minutes left in the game.

The back-and-forth continued to the 22-second mark when Leal, in his only shot of the game, hit a 3-pointer to put the Hoosiers up 74-73. Leal later got an offensive rebound off of a Kel’El Ware miss and converted a pair of free throws to give Indiana its 76-73 winning margin.

This game illustrated this team could be tough at times – a trait also shown when the Hoosiers won their final four games of the regular season and opener in the Big Ten Tournament. All of which also just made the swings in form that much more frustrating.

1. Kel’El Ware’s Collective Excellence

Indiana Hoosiers center Kel'el Ware (1) after the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Woodson endures a lot of criticism for his perceived problems with high school recruiting, a reputation that is often earned, but that criticism also sometimes bleeds into the notion that he doesn’t develop players – and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that is not true.

Ware is a great example of that. The 7-footer came to Indiana with impressive high school credentials, but he came off a disappointing freshman season at Oregon where he only averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Ducks in 2022-23. His heart was questioned while at Oregon and he was certainly not the most highly anticipated addition to the 2023-24 Indiana roster.

Ware quickly demonstrated, however, that was the genuine article. Starting with a 13-point, 12-rebound performance in his maiden voyage with the Hoosiers, Ware was a very consistent force for the Hoosiers in the lane.

He only had six games below 10 points, and he had 10 games over 20 points. He recorded 15 double-doubles, and his rim protection was phenomenal.

Ware nearly increased his scoring average by 10 points from Oregon to Indiana as he finished his lone Indiana season averaging 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.

His excellence could easily be lost in the wake of an up-and-down season, but the NBA took notice. Ware was chosen 15th overall by the Miami Heat and has averaged 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds for the Heat in 15 games. Ware is the third Indiana player taken in the NBA Draft in the Woodson era.

Worst Memories

3. Indiana Melts Down At Rutgers

Indiana Hoosiers guard Xavier Johnson (0) shoots the ball as Rutgers Scarlet Knights forward Aundre Hyatt (5) defends during the first half at Jersey Mike's Arena. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

There are multiple choices when it comes to a single game that defined what was wrong with Indiana in the 2023-24 season, but the 66-57 loss at Rutgers on Jan. 9 covers a lot of ground in what ailed the Hoosiers.

It was a game where Indiana’s 3-point shooting was not good enough at 7 of 26 from long range. There was a complete meltdown at the free throw line as the Hoosiers were 4 of 15. This on a night where Rutgers only shot 32.3% from the field – if even half of the free throws missed were made, it’s a game down to the wire.

Worst of all, Indiana lost its composure as veteran guard Xavier Johnson was ejected for a below-the-belt foul on Rutgers’ Antwone Woolfolk.

There were other games with poor 3-point and free throw shooting or where the Hoosiers lost composure, but this one tied them all together and was memorable for all of the wrong reasons.

2. The Collective Nebraska Nightmare

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Brice Williams (3) shoots the ball against Indiana Hoosiers forward Luke Goode (10) during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

I’m probably in the minority, but I don’t have much time for the “Indiana basketball lost to so-and-so” notion of superiority expressed by some Hoosiers fans.

Every year is different. Long-time doormats do rise up. Look no further than football. I’m sure plenty of Big Ten fans were embarrassed to lose to the Hoosiers in 2024 because of Indiana’s historic standing as a football also-ran.

Having said that, Indiana men’s basketball has undeniably struggled during the Woodson era against Big Ten teams that don’t have a championship legacy. Northwestern, Penn State and Rutgers have flummoxed the Hoosiers more than once.

But no team inflicted more pain in 2024 than Nebraska did. It was an emasculation from stem to stern in 2024. Indiana played Nebraska four times and lost by an average margin of 18.7 points.

It started on Jan. 2 with an 86-70 loss at Nebraska. At the time, it could be chalked up to life on the Big Ten road, but then on Feb. 21, the Cornhuskers whipped Indiana 85-70 at Assembly Hall. Indiana fans quickly learned to dread the presence of Keisei Tominaga and Brice Williams, Nebraska’s best at inflicting Indiana pain.

The worst loss came in the Big Ten Tournament at Target Center in Minneapolis. The Hoosiers were never in it as the Huskers stormed to a 93-66 victory. Tominaga and Williams combined to go 8 of 13 from 3-point range, and both scored 23 points. Woodson was ejected from the game. It was an embarrassing end to the 2024 season.

Indiana got an early shot at redemption on Dec. 13 when the Hoosiers visited Pinnacle Bank Arena for an early Big Ten contest. However, the Hoosiers couldn’t defend as Nebraska converted 61.2% from the field. Still, it was tight until a game-finishing 17-1 run by the Huskers helped them roll to an 85-68 victory. Williams was there to torture the Hoosiers again with 30 points.

Nebraska is not scheduled to see Indiana for the rest of the season, so 2025 will be spared of the Nebraska nightmare – unless they meet in the Big Ten Tournament.

1. Louisville Loss At Battle 4 Atlantis

Louisville Cardinals forward Khani Rooths (9) reacts in front of Indiana Hoosiers guard Trey Galloway (32) after scoring during the second half at the Atlantis Resort. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Despite the way the 2024 season ended, Indiana fans seemed to embrace optimism going into the 2024-25 season. Indiana brought in attractive transfer portal pieces in Myles Rice, Oumar Ballo, Kanaan Carlyle and Luke Goode. The Hoosiers also added highly touted freshman Bryson Tucker.

Whether the Hoosiers deserved the respect afforded to them before the season – Indiana was picked second in the preseason Big Ten media poll – is something that can only be judged in hindsight.

What is undeniable is that the optimism that surrounded this new roster died when Indiana faced Louisville at Battle 4 Atlantis on Nov. 27 in The Bahamas.

The perception going into the Louisville game was that Indiana needed to win to set itself up for a nice, resume-boosting title run in which the Hoosiers would face Gonzaga, Arizona or both.

Louisville had other ideas. The Cardinals never trailed in the game. The first half was disappointing, but still salvageable with an eight-point halftime deficit. However, the Hoosiers completely capitulated in a second half in which they were outscored 52-32. The Cardinals led by 38 at their zenith and made two-thirds of their second half shots in an 89-61 destruction of the Hoosiers.

It was an embarrassing wake-up call – one exacerbated when Indiana wound up playing Gonzaga anyway and lost, 89-73. It was a wake-up call that also hasn’t been fully answered yet by the Hoosiers.

Related stories on Indiana athletics

• 2024 IN REVIEW - MEN'S BASKETBALL PERFORMANCES: Jack Ankony chooses his favorite Indiana men's basketball performances from 2024. CLICK HERE.

• 2024 IN REVIEW - WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Todd Golden looks back at his favorite Indiana women’s basketball moments from 2024. CLICK HERE

• 2024 IN REVIEW - FOOTBALL: Todd Golden looks back at his favorite Indiana football moments from an unforgettable 11-2 season. CLICK HERE