Indiana is Learning To Finish Games in Year Two Under Mike Woodson

Indiana let a handful of games slip away in the final minutes last season, but the Hoosiers are learning to finish games strong in year two under coach Mike Woodson.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Beyond the addition of talent freshmen and improved 3-point shooting lies a distinguishable point of growth from year one to year two under coach Mike Woodson.

Indiana has learned how to finish games.

Last season, it was common for the Hoosiers to let their opponent be the aggressor in the closing moments. It appeared impossible to put certain teams away, and postgame comments from Woodson often revolved around figuring out how to "get over the hump."

In some ways, that's an oversimplification. But as Woodson confirmed after Tuesday night's 66-60 win over No. 24 Rutgers, which came three days after taking down No. 1 Purdue, the emotional maturity of his Hoosiers is at an all-time high. 

"They just believe now," Woodson said. "And that's a big part of winning. When we lost those three in a row we were all searching. Me being the head of the snake as the coach, I'm searching and I know what the hell was going on, you know, what we weren't doing, and now we're back doing those things. That's what makes winning fun."

Indiana has developed a killer instinct this season, and it's contributed greatly to wins in seven of its last eight games, many of which would have slipped away last year.

Take Indiana's road trip to Wisconsin on Dec. 8, 2021 for example. The Hoosiers led by as much as 22 and finished the first half with 42 total points. Despite mustering just 17 points in the entire second half, Indiana led by six points after a Race Thompson layup at the 3:08 mark. But from that point on, Wisconsin closed the game on an 11-0 run. 

Indiana's game at Iowa a few weeks later followed a similar script, as the Hoosiers led by double digits in the first half and racked up 46 points in the first 20 minutes of action. But after a Parker Stewart layup made it a one-point game with 6:50 to play, Iowa ended the game on a 17-9 run behind a 29-point performance by Keegan Murray.

Indiana sought revenge over Wisconsin when the Badgers came to Assembly Hall in mid-February, but similar end-of-game struggles emerged. A free throw from Trayce Jackson-Davis gave Indiana a five-point lead as the clock ticked below four minutes. The Hoosiers were in control on their home court, but Wisconsin guard Johnny Davis scored every point on a 13-3 run to silence the Assembly Hall crowd and defeat Indiana. Six days later, Indiana's four-point lead with 2:47 remaining at Ohio State turned into an 11-point overtime loss. 

Flash forward to year two of the Woodson era, and Indiana has gone from 1-4 in Big Ten play to 8-5 in less than a month, tied for second place in the conference. Two of the Hoosiers most crucial wins are also their most recent – a 79-74 win over No. 1 Purdue on Saturday and a 66-60 win over No. 24 Rutgers on Tuesday. And in both matchups, flashes of the 2021-22 Hoosiers who allowed games to slip away crept into play for a moment.

Indiana played arguably its best half of the season against Purdue, surging to a 50-35 halftime lead. Though they never relinquished the lead, Purdue came within one point of the Hoosiers and had the ball with a chance to take the lead. With pivotal defensive stops and a clutch layup from Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana hung on to defeat the nation's top-ranked team. 

Three days later, Indiana was at risk of a letdown against Rutgers. Last season, the Hoosiers laid an egg against Michigan after an emotional win over Purdue. And with a team Indiana hadn't beaten since 2019 arriving in Bloomington, a similar setback was certainly possible. Woodson challenged his team to validate the Purdue win with a strong performance against Rutgers, and his team responded. 

Tuesday's win did not lack runs by Rutgers, and Woodson admitted Indiana's offense fell stagnant down the stretch. But Indiana got stops when it needed to most. The Hoosiers held Rutgers to three points in the final three minutes, and a gritty put-back layup through contact by Trey Galloway was the bucket that allowed Indiana to breathe. 

"You start looking over your shoulder a little bit when I think they cut the lead to three or even one I think," Woodson said. "And we make two free throws to extend it and then we started to make plays. But again, our team, I'm proud of this team, man, because there's no quitting. They grind. They try to do whatever it takes to win and tonight we did that."

By withstanding late comeback attempts by Purdue and Rutgers, Indiana proved it's a different team from last season. The Hoosiers aren't a finished product in year two under Woodson, and they must continue to "validate" big wins as their coach says, but they're rounding into form at the right time. 

"I think the biggest thing for us was just confidence," Jackson-Davis said. "When you lose three in a row, you're kind of down on yourself. But coach Woody always said, 'You've got to find a middle ground,' and so that's what we did. And so when you win one game it can string the two to three, and then you win seven out of your last eight. And so that's with us, and we've just got to be consistent and just take it one game at a time."

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• MILLER KOPP DRAINS THREE ON RUTGERS: Watch this replay of Indiana forward Miller Kopp connecting on his first three-pointer of the game to put the Hoosiers up 6-4 versus No. 24 Rutgers. CLICK HERE