Standout Moments From Indiana Men’s Basketball At Hoosier Hysteria

From Luke Goode’s 3-point shooting to a look at Indiana’s lineup rotations and Mike Woodson’s praise for freshman Bryson Tucker, here are six standout moments from 2024 Hoosier Hysteria.

Jack Ankony | Oct 18, 2024

Indiana Hoosiers forward Luke Goode (10) answers a question during Indiana media day at Cook Hall. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Hoosier Hysteria is the annual sign that the Indiana basketball season is right around the corner, and fans got their first in-person look at the men’s and women’s teams Friday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

The event featured player introductions, speeches from coaches Mike Woodson and Teri Moren, a skills competition, a women’s 3-point shooting contest, a game of knockout and a men’s team scrimmage, all emceed by Tricia Whitaker, an Indiana alum and Tampa Bay Rays sideline reporter.

Here are the standout moments from 2024 Hoosier Hysteria, specifically looking at the men’s team.

Luke Goode’s 3-point shooting

Mike Woodson said 3-point shooting was an area where Indiana needed to improve this offseason, and one of the main reasons that could happen is the addition of Illinois transfer Luke Goode. The 6-foot-7 Fort Wayne, Ind. native shot 38.8% on 219 career 3-point attempts across three seasons at Illinois.

After missing his first off-balance attempt, Goode drilled a pair of 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions from the top of the key. Mackenzie Mgbako hit a 3-point shot at the buzzer, ending the scrimmage in a 29-29 tie. Those were bright spots for the Hoosiers, who shot 5 for 18 from 3-point range in the scrimmage.

Woodson said at Big Ten Media Days that Indiana will run more plays to get open 3-point looks for Goode, compared to the offense it ran with previous Hoosiers like Miller Kopp. If Friday was any indication, Goode will be a valuable piece for the Hoosiers this season.

First look at potential starting five, rotations

Indiana brought in six transfers and one freshman this offseason, so many of its lineups in 2024-25 will be different from last season. Friday was the first chance to see that in action.

To start the scrimmage, Indiana trotted out a lineup with Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle, Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo. That’s the presumed starting five, which isn’t much of a surprise. Mgbako and Reneau are returning starters from last season. Ballo was a two-time, first-team All-Pac-12 center at Arizona and the top-rated transfer this offseason. In the backcourt, Rice was a first-team All-Pac-12 point guard at Washington State last year, and Carlyle averaged 11.5 points as a freshman at Stanford.

The lineup that went against that group to start the scrimmage included Gabe Cupps, Anthony Leal, Bryson Tucker, Luke Goode and Langdon Hatton. Woodson then mixed up the lineups, switching to a group with Rice, Leal, Goode, Mgbako and Hatton. They went up against Cupps, Carlyle, Tucker, Reneau and Ballo.

While it’s too early for any major takeaways about Indiana’s lineups, Friday’s scrimmage revealed the small-ball wrinkle Woodson has discussed this offseason, with lineups including Goode, Mgbako and Hatton. Indiana will still go to its strong interior duo of Reneau and Ballo, but the roster appears to have more lineup flexibility than Woodson’s past iterations.

Trey Galloway, Jakai Newton didn’t scrimmage

Galloway and Newton are working their way back from knee injuries and did not participate in Friday’s scrimmage. That wasn’t a big surprise as both have been limited throughout the offseason. But in a sideline interview, Galloway said he’s been practicing and will be ready to go for the season.

At Big Ten Media Days on Oct. 3, Woodson gave an update on Newton, who missed his entire freshman season with a knee injury.

"He's doing fine. No, [Newton] can't go every day yet, and that's because we won't allow him to go every day," Woodson said Thursday. "We basically are slow-walking him back, but the days he's been out there have been pretty impressive.”

"He's probably the best explosive athlete on our team in terms of playing above the rim. It's scary how good he is in that regard, but we just gotta get him back fully healthy and he's not there yet."

Mike Woodson’s high praise for Bryson Tucker

Following player introductions, Woodson listed all seven newcomers as reasons he thinks Indiana will be a deeper and stronger team this season. But he didn’t go into great detail on their individual skill sets, until he got to freshman Bryson Tucker.

“I gotta mention this guy because he’s the only freshman we have on our roster, but he doesn’t play like a freshman,” Woodson said. “I’m not trying to add pressure to him. He has a long way to go as a basketball player, but boy, I love everything about him. He’s really been good for me so far.”

Tucker committed to Indiana in the spring as a five-star recruit out of Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Va. He’s listed at 6-foot-7 and 207 pounds on Indiana’s roster and provides the Hoosiers with positional versatility off the bench.

Memorable music choices

After all, Hoosier Hysteria is meant to be a fun event for the fans and players. The best chance to see players’ personalities on Friday was during their individual introductions. Two memorable moments came from Indiana’s pair of 7-foot transfers, Oumar Ballo and Langdon Hatton.

Hatton, a transfer from Bellarmine and a Georgetown, Ind. native, kept his song choice close to home. He walked out to “Small Town” by John Mellencamp, which is always a fan favorite in Bloomington. Mellencamp will make an appearance at the Big Noon Kickoff pregame show ahead of Saturday’s Noon ET football game between No. 16 Indiana and Nebraska.

Ballo made a case for having the team’s best dance moves as he walked out to the song “Teach Me How To Dougie.” The crowd seemed to enjoy the 7-footer’s enthusiasm during the introductions, and he frequently displayed his dominant presence around the basket during the scrimmage.

Plenty of football talk

Hoosier Hysteria is dedicated to the men’s and women’s basketball teams, but there was a football flare to the 2024 edition. In the last few years, there wasn’t much excitement about the football program by the time Hoosier Hysteria rolled around in mid-October. It was the complete opposite on Friday, though, with 6-0 Indiana’s big game against Nebraska on Saturday.

The Big Noon Kickoff pregame show cast – Mark Ingram II, Matt Leinart, Urban Meyer, Brady Quinn and Rob Stone – was in attendance on Friday and played a role in the crowd’s excitement.

“You may go to the college football playoffs,” Stone told the raucous Indiana fans.

“Why not IU?” Quinn asked the crowd, claiming that the Hoosiers could be this year’s college football Cinderella team.

“This is a beautiful thing, I’m telling you,” Woodson said about the football team. “We better all go get our seats tomorrow to watch the football game. I like everything about our football team, I really do. And I think coach Cignetti is doing a hell of a job. So let’s go pack the stadium.”