Indiana Native Luke Goode Hits Trio of 3-Pointers, Helps Illini Defeat Hoosiers

Indiana didn’t hit a 3-pointer in Saturday’s 70-62 loss at Illinois, but Illinois guard Luke Goode, an Indiana native, hit three. He played a key role in a win that meant a little bit more.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Indiana didn’t offer Luke Goode out of Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., and Saturday he made the Hoosiers pay.

Goode finished with 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers. That’s three more threes than Indiana made in its 70-62 loss, representing the first game since Feb. 25, 2010, that Indiana did not make a three. Ironically, that team had Jordan Hulls and Christian Watford, known for their 3-point shooting.

Illinois coach Brad Underwood set a goal for Indiana to hit three or fewer threes, but even he seemed a bit surprised the Hoosiers were shut out.

“It’s pretty unrealistic to think you’re going to get zero in a 40 minute college basketball game,” Underwood said. “It’s really, really hard to do.”

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Luke Goode (10) reaches for the ball against Indiana Hoosiers guard Trey Galloway (32) during the first half at State Farm Center / Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Goode entered the game having made 46 shots from the field, 37 of which came from beyond the arc. After Saturday’s win, he’s shooting 40.4% from 3-point range across 99 attempts. Though Goode’s game-high three 3-pointers were key to Illinois’ win, perhaps his biggest shot of the game was a rare layup.

With 9:37 left, Goode caught the ball on the left wing with Mackenzie Mgbako defending. His shot fake got Mgbako off balance, and Goode ripped through to get a step ahead of Mgbako. A hesitation dribble further confused the Indiana freshman. As Goode dribbled along the baseline, he finished a reverse layup while absorbing an Mgbako foul to tie the game.

Goode was asked postgame if he thought his rare 2-pointer took Indiana by surprise.

“Yeah,” he answered, laughing. “Something I’ve tried to integrate into my game this year is the pump-fake sidestep three, and I’ve done that a lot this year. Today I saw the lane wide open, and I don’t usually do it but I drove the lane and I finished and looked over at Tyler Underwood and had some choice words for him because he gets mad at me in practice every time I dribble the ball. So yeah, it was a kind of funny part of the game.”

Roughly three minutes later, Goode drained a three that put Illinois ahead 56-52. Though the Hoosiers tied the game 62-62 with 1:29 left, the Illini hit clutch free throws – and Indiana didn’t – in the final moments to secure the win.

Underwood put Goode’s performance in 30 minutes off the bench, third most on the team, simply.

“Huge, huge day. Elite, ” Underwood said. “His rip drive baseline was something that’ll go on film at the end of the year.”

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Luke Goode (10) shoots over Michigan Wolverines forward Will Tschetter (42) in the second half at Crisler Center

Goode knows his primary role on this team is to hit outside shots, along with defending and rebounding. But he was happy to show the other side of his game in a key moment Saturday. Underwood knew it’s been there, somewhere, all along.

“Luke’s had a tremendous shot fake,” Underwood said. “Luke quietly has a really good, hard-to-guard post game because he can fade away and shoot it, and he can shoot it on the bounce. His dribble drive game is not what I’d call exceptional, probably what I’d call a little better than yours. But it was the right play at the right time. The seas parted, and he shot a layup.”

The win, plus a strong individual performance, meant a bit more for Goode because it was against his home-state school. Goode was a four-star recruit in the class of 2021, ranked No. 103 in the nation, per the 247 Sports Composite, but Indiana looked elsewhere.

His player bio on Illinois’ website says Goode credits former Indiana player Matt Roth for influencing his basketball career and notes, “He has trained me since eighth grade.” Luke’s father, Craig, played football at Indiana. Goode’s brother attends IU, and he was at the State Farm Center Saturday to watch it all play out.

Luke has bragging rights for another year.

“I’m going to save the trash talk for personal, between us, through our text messages, but I’m going to go out and give him a tough time,” Goode said. “My brother brought friends today and I told him, ‘No IU gear in the family section,’ so that was one of the big things.”

“To get a win against IU, especially the home state team, is special. It means a little bit more every year, so it’s good to get a win.”

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