My Two Cents: Rewatching Indiana's 3 Blowout Losses to Nebraska Last Year Was Pure Torture

Indiana got blown out by Nebraska three times a year ago, and one loss was more embarrassing than the other. Watching them again was tough on the eyes. The two teams meet Friday in Lincoln and the Hoosiers need to reverse some ugly trends.

Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga (30) shoots over Indiana guard Trey Galloway (32) last season in a blowout win in Bloomington. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — People tell me all the time that I have the greatest job in the world. I won't go that far, of course, but it's been a (mostly) nice gig for 40-plus years. I love to write, love sports, and the fact that it's tied me back to Indiana the past six years has been the cherry on top of a long and rewarding career.

But it's not all roses and chocolates. Most days are very long, and there's no such thing as a weekend off. And some days, you just want to rip your eyes out.

Tuesday was one of those days.

In preparation for Indiana's basketball game at Nebraska on Friday, I rewatched the Hoosiers' three blowout losses to the Cornhuskers last year. It was six hours of absolute torture.

Pure unadulterated torture. My eyes bled a little.

The carnage started on Jan. 3, 2024 when Nebraska won 86-70 in Lincoln. It continued on Feb. 21 in Bloomington when the Huskers scorched IU 85-70. The Hoosiers' brutal 19-14 season ended on March 15 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, when Nebraska won 93-66.

Three losses, with the margin of victory a massive 58 points. And this is Nebraska, a school and state that barely cares about basketball. Football is king there. Hell, volleyball probably matters more. But Fred Hoiberg has done some good work in his six years at Nebraska, and ''The Mayor'' with a few Indiana ties had Indiana's number last season after losing seven straight against Indiana.

Zeroing in on the those last three games isn't recency bias. It's real. Those three losses were the great summation to all that was wrong with Indiana basketball last season. Had it not been for four straight Big Ten wins to end the regular season, the Hoosiers would have had a losing record in league, an unacceptable spot to be.

it's one thing to not win Big Ten titles. It's another thing to be noncompetitive and lose badly to teams like Nebraska.

Here are three things that absolutely jumped off the screen when I rewatched this mess.

1. Fred Hoiberg completely outcoached Mike Woodson

Game preparation is the key to any good coaching, and it's been that way for years. You watch a lot of film, figure out a plan of attack, drill it into your players in practice and hope they execute it well in the game.

Fred Hoiberg and his Nebraska players did exactly that. Over and over again.

I tell you all the time that point spreads have no bearing on outcomes, but they set a baseline for what's expected in a game by experts. Nebraska was just a 4.5-point favorite in Lincoln and won by 16. They were a 1.5-point underdog in Bloomington and won by 15. They were 5.5-point favorites in the Big Ten Tournament and won by 27. Completely embarrassing blowouts every time.

And it was Hoiberg doing things that Woodson didn't have an answer for. Nebraska made a whopping 40 three-pointers in the routs, 12 the first time and 14 in the other two. Woodson's ''nail-slot-rim'' defensive philosophy can be attacked, and Hoiberg knew how to do it. He kept running actions that got shooters wide-open looks from three.

It happened over and over. It's one thing to be slow to react to something in a game — some smart players are better at adapting than others — but it's another thing if this trend continued over three games in a three-month period. Hoiberg picked on the Hoosiers over and over.

And it was pretty embarrassing. It also sets the stage for what might happen Friday night. The Cornhuskers, who won 23 games a year ago, aren't the same team. But it's the same two coaches. Woodson will need to do a better job — for all 40 minutes.

2. Nebraska simply played harder than Indiana

Teams playing bad on the road in the Big Ten isn't all that uncommon. Homecourt advantage is a real thing in a league that leads the country in attendance every year. So Indiana losing at Nebraska in January was one thing, but getting blown out at home was another.

In the February game in Bloomington, the Hoosiers were desperate for a win, but Nebraska scored a whopping 51 points in the first half, and led by 20 at the break. They just kept scoring and scoring one trip after another, and the Hoosiers never really fought back to do anything about it. Watching the game, it was amazing how easily Nebraska scored those 51 points.

Players told me a few weeks later that Woodson blistered the paint in the locker room at halftime, angered at their effort. It got better after the break, and the Hoosiers did rally, cutting the lead down to three in just eight minutes. But then Nebraska went on a 14-1 run and the rout was on again.

3. Nebraska cared more, especially in Big Ten Tournament

When Indiana went to Minneapolis for the Big Ten Tournament, the Hoosiers were on a bit of a run, winning four straight games, and the boo-birds were a bit more quiet in not roasting Woodson. Senior Day at Assembly Hall was a blast, with the Hoosiers beating a very good Michigan State team and Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal, two popular native Hoosiers, announcing they'd come back for another year.

Indiana beat Penn State in the first round, which was something considering the Hoosiers had lost nine straight games to traditional bottom-feeders Nebraska, Penn State and Northwestern. Next up was Nebraska, and a chance at redemption. A chance at an NCAA Tournament bid too, really. A couple of more wins might have stolen a bid.

But Nebraska did its thing again. They blitzed the Hoosiers with another 50-point first half and the outcome was NEVER in doubt. Nebraska had an 11-0 run, an 9-0 run and closed the half with a 17-0 run.

They wanted it, and it was obvious. Indiana? Not so much.

There was no thrilling second-half comeback. Indiana never got closer than 18 points, then packed their bags and went home. Keisei Tominaga scored 23 points, and had 71 total in the three games. Brice Williams, who's still around, scored 56 points and made 9-of-16 threes.

Bench playerJamarques Lawrence, who plays for Archie Miller at Rhode Island now, averaged 6 points a game last season. Against Indiana, he averaged 15.3 points a game and was 8-for-9 from three — mostly wide open looks — in the last two meetings with IU.

Nebraska was having a career season and they reveled in the fact that they kicked Indiana to the curb and continued its path toward the NCAA Tournament. For Indiana, its 19-14 season was over. Woodson had no interest in an NIT Tournament bid, which made total sense because he didn't want to watch that team play any more. Indiana fans were in total agreement. They didn't want to watch any more Indiana basketball last year either.

And, yes, to be honest, if I didn't have to watch those three games again, I wouldn't have. But it's part of the job. And even though I don't live in the past, it matters when it comes to Friday night. When Woodson walked out of the Target Center last March, he said he was hitting the recruiting trail the next day.

He lived up to that promise. He brought in seven new players, five-star forward Bryson Tucker and six games out of the transfer portal who all got sweet NIL deals to make the Hoosiers better.

Those seven have no memories of what happened last year with Nebraska. Maybe that's a good thing.

Or maybe it's not. Woodson has to do his best coaching this week. We saw a good sense of urgency out of the Hoosiers in the Big Ten opener with Minnesota, and we need to see all of that and more in Lincoln. There are no must-win games in December, but this comes pretty close.

By design, Indiana has played a very easy nonconference schedule. The only place they were going to have a chance to impress people was in the Bahamas, and that was a complete bust with blowout losses to Louisville and Gonzaga. We remember all the blowout losses a year ago — six by 20 points and more and 12 games by eight more more.

Winning at Nebraska on Friday night helps create a new dialogue. It's a win on the road in the Big Ten, which is always a big deal. It's very big for an Indiana team that wants to be in the discussion for conference titles and NCAA Tournament runs.

They have no wins that matter so far — not one — and this would be the first. They have to start somewhere. And it might as well start in Lincoln against a program that embarrassed the daylights out of the Hoosiers a year ago.

Flip the script? That would be nice. I'd watch the film of that one more than once.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• MGBAKO YEAR IN PICTURES: Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako is one of Indiana's best offensive threats, and he's trying to make the most of his second season in Bloomington. We've put together a photo gallery and notes on his season so far, and we'll update it in real time throughout the season. CLICK HERE

• TODD GOLDEN COLUMN: Indiana guard Kanaan Carlyle’s presence was immediately felt by the Hoosiers in their 82-67 victory over Minnesota. He was a welcomed return to Indiana's lineup after missing three games with an injury. CLICK HERE

• GAME STORY: Bryson Tucker gives Indiana a lift in its 82-67 win over Minnesota. CLICK HERE

• WHAT WOODSON SAID: Comments from Indiana men's basketball coach Mike Woodson after Indiana's win over Minnesota. CLICK HERE

• INDIANA 2024-25 SCHEDULE: Here's the full 2024-25 Indiana men's basketball schedule, including game times, location and television designations. This file will be updated throughout the season. CLICK HERE