Key takeaways from the Indiana basketball 81-76 loss to Purdue

Indiana basketball dropped another close one in the final seconds losing to No. 10 Purdue 81-76.

The Hoosiers are now 14-8 on the season and 5-6 in Big Ten play after the loss.

Here are the key takeaways from IU’s loss to Purdue.

Hoosiers beat themselves again: As well as Indiana basketball played, they struggled to take care of the basketball all night against Purdue. The Hoosiers finished the game with 20 turnovers which the Boilermakers turned into 26 points. Turnovers down the stretch were the difference as Indiana dug themselves a hole they could not get out of. Indiana shot well enough from the field and made threes, but it was not enough to overcome the turnover issues. Four different Hoosiers had three or more turnovers in the game. The turnover issue combined with the team shooting 9-16 from the free-throw line all played a huge role in this close loss. Beating Purdue at Mackey is not an easy task, and when you finish with 20 total turnovers as a team you are setting yourself up for failure.

Mackenzie Mgbako’s major performance: Mackenzie Mgbako was the Hoosiers’ best player all night as he scored 25 points with five rebounds on 10-17 from the field. Mgbako buried big shots all night and kept the Hoosiers alive despite their turnover problems. Even when the offense was not flowing, Mgbako found a way to get to his spot and make tough shots over the Purdue defenders. The story of his season has been inconsistency. When Mgbako is on, he’s one of the better players in the Big Ten like he was tonight. Finding that ability to stay consistent will be key for Mgbako moving forward because Indiana basketball is a much better team when he’s scoring the rock/

Late-game execution: Once again Indiana’s late-game execution was a disaster. Indiana led by six with five minutes to go and disaster ensued. Turnovers, late rotations, and bad decisions wound up costing Indiana another quad one game in a major spot. Just like against Maryland, Indiana found themselves leading in the final 30 seconds needing a stop, and were unable to get it. Not only were they unable to get a stop, but with 10 seconds left and a timeout to use, the Hoosiers settled for a contested Myles Rice jump shot. While there was some controversy regarding whether Rice was fouled, it should not have mattered as Indiana was unable to generate an open look for one of their scorers. 

Indiana seniors stepping up: The three in-state seniors stepped up in a big way for Indiana basketball. Luke Goode, Trey Galloway, and Anthony Leal all played a major role in the Hoosiers’ upset efforts. Anthony Leal started for the Hoosiers and played 35 minutes before fouling out late in the second half. Leal finished with six points, five rebounds, and four assists, and played stellar defense against Braden Smith who finished with six turnovers. Trey Galloway came off the bench and finished with 15 points and five assists including a go-ahead bucket with 30 seconds left, but it was not enough. Goode finished the game with 13 points while shooting 3-6 from beyond the arc. The trio of seniors have been the emotional leaders of this team and they led a huge fight in a game not many gave Indiana basketball a chance. 

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