Jack’s Take: All-American Indiana Careers End in Albany Two Straight Years

Mackenzie Holmes and Trayce Jackson-Davis set program records at Indiana, and coincidentally, both careers came to an end at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y. But one loss isn’t really the end or how they’ll be remembered, rather the All-American careers they had as Hoosiers.

Jack Ankony | Mar 30, 2024

Mar 29, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Mackenzie Holmes (54) shoots a layup against South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso. / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

At a school with decades of rich basketball history, two all-time Indiana greats crossed paths and set men’s and women’s program records.

But only one team can cut down the nets at the end of the NCAA Tournament, which means heartbreak for 67 teams and for hundreds of players whose college careers ended in losses.

Mackenzie Holmes, the Indiana women’s basketball all-time leading scorer, spoke through tears Friday night after the No. 4 seed Hoosiers lost 79-75 to No. 1 overall seed South Carolina at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y. Indiana trailed by as many as 22 points, but rallied in the second half and came within two points of the undefeated Gamecocks with a minute to play.

It was the exact setting where a year ago Trayce Jackson-Davis – the men’s all-time leader in rebounds and blocks, plus third in scoring – played his final game as a Hoosier, an 85-69 loss to Miami. Jackson had 23 points, eight rebounds and five blocks in his final game, but the Hurricanes’ high-powered offense was too much for Indiana to handle.

Holmes’ and Jackson-Davis’ careers overlapped for four seasons in Bloomington and served as building blocks for programs in similar, yet contrasting places. Their history of success was different, but the modern-day standing of both programs came with hunger to win – either for the first time, or the first time in a while.

The men’s program has a storied history of success with five national championships, but it had missed the NCAA Tournament in five consecutive seasons, including Jackson-Davis’ first two. Heading into coach Mike Woodson’s first season, he convinced Jackson-Davis to return for his junior year, then helped him elevate his game to All-American status as a senior.

The Hoosiers reached the NCAA Tournament in Jackson-Davis’ final two seasons, in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and won a game in each. They seemed to be on an upward trajectory, winning 21 and 23 games during Jackson-Davis junior and senior years, respectively, benchmarks the program hadn’t reached since the 2015-16 season.

As a fifth-year senior, Holmes set Indiana’s scoring record and helped the Hoosiers achieve their ninth straight 20-plus win season. The program had done so just four times prior to Moren’s 10 seasons coaching the Hoosiers.

Before Holmes’ arrival, the women’s team had made the NCAA Tournament just six times in program history, and it had never reached the second weekend. But in three of Holmes’ final four seasons, coach Teri Moren’s Hoosiers reached the Sweet 16 three times and made an Elite Eight run once.

Holmes was named an All-American three times, the only player in program history to do so. Her career also coincided with the rise in popularity of women's basketball, as Indiana set attendance records at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

She had a challenging matchup in her final game against South Carolina’s 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a second-team All-American. Holmes finished below the 20-point output fans had become accustomed to seeing, scoring 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting.

She wished the tournament run would have continued, but that didn’t diminish Holmes’ gratitude for the program she helped take to new heights.

“Anyone who knows me knows how much I love being a Hoosier,” Holmes said after the loss. “I just pray that any high schooler that is looking at colleges that they pick a school that they feel the same way that I have felt about Indiana. I know the transfer portal is huge right now, but I'm here for five years because I loved being a Hoosier, and I loved every second. I just pray that every student-athlete gets to feel the way I feel about a school because they deserve it. It's an amazing feeling. I wouldn't be this upset if it didn't mean so much to me.”

For Hoosier fans, Albany has been the end of the road to entertaining, promising seasons for two straight years. For Holmes and Jackson-Davis, it was the final game of historic careers in an Indiana uniform. But for those two players and the Indiana faithful, one game in Albany is not really the end or how they’ll be remembered most.

Now Jackson-Davis is off on a promising start to his professional career with the Golden State Warriors. With some luck, Holmes could be achieving similar success in the WNBA a year from now. And Hoosier fans have far more fond memories of two players who will always be remembered as two of the best to ever wear an Indiana uniform.

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