Luke Goode Set To Face Former Team As Illinois Comes To Assembly Hall

Ahead of Tuesday’s matchup, Illinois coach Brad Underwood spoke highly of Luke Goode, who transferred from Illinois to Indiana for his senior year.
Former Illinois wing Luke Goode (10) shoots against Duquesne in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Former Illinois wing Luke Goode (10) shoots against Duquesne in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – There are reasons the transfer portal can create bad blood between a player and their former program.

Some disgruntled players leave in search of more playing time. Some leave because they don’t like the coach, or the coach doesn’t see a future with them. Some leave if another school calls offering more money. But for all the things some coaches, players, fans and observers don’t like about the transfer portal, there are still cases where it works out for both sides and they leave on good terms. 

Take Luke Goode, for example. He grew up an Indiana basketball fan in Fort Wayne, Ind., with a goal to play at Indiana or Purdue. But neither in-state school offered him out of Homestead High School, so he picked Illinois. 

Goode played 76 games across three seasons for coach Brad Underwood and helped the Illini win a Big Ten regular season title and a conference tournament title. In his third and final season, Illinois made the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005. He had a successful career with many lifelong memories.

But after the 2023-24 season, Goode entered the transfer portal and saw an opportunity to play for the school he rooted for growing up. He couldn’t pass it up.

“It was just the best fit for me, honestly. I left Illinois with great relationships and no bad blood,” Goode said in September. “So it’s nothing but love for those guys over there.”

Goode’s addition checked a box for one of Indiana’s biggest offseason goals – improving its outside shooting. The 6-foot-7 wing is tied for the team lead with 28 3-pointers made, along with Mackenzie Mgbako. On a career-high 4.4 attempts per game, he’s shooting a solid 37.3% from beyond the arc. 

The combination of Indiana’s need for Goode and Goode's long-standing desire to play for the Hoosiers made a perfect connection.

“It was a pretty cool opportunity when I was in the portal and IU reached out,” Goode said on the Players Perspective Podcast. “It was one of those things where it was like, you know what, I see a hole on the team. They need a shooter, a knockdown shooter. They got playmakers and big guys, it makes sense. Being able to come back to a place that I grew up going to, I have countless pictures on my phone of me at IU games and me in Indiana gear and all this different stuff. So having this opportunity is pretty cool.” 

Indiana coach Mike Woodson recently inserted Goode into the starting lineup after an injury to Malik Reneau. Goode had some of his best games in an Indiana uniform in a recent three-game stretch, making 10-of-15 3-pointers in consecutive wins over Rutgers, Penn State and USC.

Luke Goode Indiana Basketball
Indiana's Luke Goode (10) makes a 3-pointer against USC at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now he approaches a matchup against his former school, and Underwood had plenty of good things to say about his former player.

“No one loves Luke Goode more than I do,” Underwood said Monday. “Luke was a special part of this program and will always be a special part of this program. There was no one any more coachable. There was no one that made any more improvement. He was a part of two championships. He was a part of three NCAA Tournaments and integral parts of them. A guy that broke his foot and was starting his sophomore year, then breaks his foot and then rehabs and recovers and does everything that he could do to come back and help his team. The thing about Luke was not only a really good player, but even a better teammate.”

Goode’s first game against Illinois – and potentially the only one, barring a Big Ten tournament matchup – is an important one for both teams. The Hoosiers are coming off an 85-60 loss Saturday at Iowa, which snapped their previous five-game win streak.

Illinois rose all the way to No. 13 in the country but most recently suffered an upset loss, 82-72 at home to USC, and dropped to No. 19 in Monday’s poll. The Hoosiers and Illini are two of six Big Ten teams with at least four wins, trailing 5-0 Michigan State and Michigan at the top.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET Tuesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. And though they’ll be competing against each other this time, Underwood still holds Goode in high regard.

“Guys make decisions for various reasons and whatever that is, but Luke’s always one of my guys,” Underwood said. “I’ll always look at him that way. He graduated from the Gies school of business in three years, outstanding student, outstanding person, outstanding family. It’ll look different seeing him run up and down, probably make a few balls. But Luke’s still an Illini to me.”

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  • HOW TO WATCH: Indiana will try to shake off its lopsided loss at Iowa as Illinois comes to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. To do so, the Hoosiers need better performances from their upperclassmen. Here's how to watch, with gametime, TV information and a good preview of the game. CLICK HERE
  • POINT SPREAD: Indiana is a perfect 11-0 at Assembly Hall so far this season, but the Hoosiers have their biggest challenge yet with Illinois on Tuesday night. Here's the latest on the point spread, with a great history vs. the number for both teams. CLICK HERE
  • MEET THE OPPONENT: Indiana and Illinois meet each other Tuesday on short rest and after disappointing losses. The Illini are dealing with injuries and inconsistency. Here's a close look at Illinois. CLICK HERE
  • THREE THINGS TO LOOK FOR: The Hoosiers face an Illinois team that plays fast, shoots lots of 3-pointers and rebounds the ball as well as any team in the country. CLICK HERE
  • JAKUCIONIS UPDATE: Illinois star freshman Kasparas Jakucionis leads the team with 16.4 points and 5.4 assists per game, but he has missed the last two games due to injury. CLICK HERE

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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation writer for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow on Twitter @ankony_jack.