Did Indiana basketball do enough to earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament? It’s out of their hands now — “We know that we should be a tournament team”

There’s no more resume-building opportunities. There’s no additional games on the schedule to strengthen your tournament case. It’s now wait and see until the selection committee releasees the full bracket on Sunday afternoon. Has Indiana basketball done enough to hear its name called?

The sentiment around the Hoosiers has been the tale of two — or three — seasons in one. After getting blown out in the Bahamas and with no real quality wins in the non-conference, it was uphill sledding for Indiana in Big Ten play. But as expected, the strength of the conference was going to give IU enough opportunities to build a strong at-large case. But it wasn’t the season Mike Woodson, or anyone around the program expected.

Indiana finished 19-13 overall and 10-10 in league play — but had a stretch in the middle of January that yielded losses in eight of 10 games that all but sealed IU’s fate for postseason play. However, a surge at the end of the year saw Indiana as winners in four of five games to end the regular season.

“The way we’ve been playing the last month and a half, we’ve been playing like a tournament team,” Indiana guard Trey Galloway said after the Big Ten Tournament loss to Oregon. “I just think us just coming together and finding ways to get better. We haven’t played our best basketball until now.”

“Well, they have been focused,” Woodson added. “We were dead in the water 2 1/2 weeks ago, so they have been focused. When you go 5 out of your last 7 games, and the Big Ten is no joke. We ended up winning 10 out of the 20 games. We expected more this season, but we didn’t get it done. Coming down this homestretch, this team hasn’t quit. They’ve been very, very competitive.”

How does Indiana’s resume stack up against the other teams hanging around the bubble? It ranks 48th in the KenPom ratings, 54th in the NET rankings and 55th in the Bart Torvik rankings. It holds a 4-13 record against Quad 1 opponents but have zero losses in Quad 2-4 matchups.

“I know the scores and the losses don’t really reflect that much in the NET,” IU senior wing Luke Goode said in the locker room after the Oregon loss. “But you look those games that we lost, the five in a row, those were one-two possessions game. But you think about Maryland, game-winning three. Purdue, game-wining floater on the road. Then you look at who we beat, we beat good teams. Michigan State. Purdue at home. We beat some really good teams. I don’t know what the history is with teams not making the tournament without a Quad 2-4 loss, I think that’s something people need to take into account and know we belong in the field and and can beat anybody.

“Winning five of the last seven games, our team is really coming together so if we do have the opportunity which I really hope we do, we can make some noise in March.”

Despite the 13 losses, Indiana has six by single digits and four by just two possessions or less.

“We know that we should be a tournament team,” Galloway added. “There’s a lot of opportunity for that. I think just those crucial losses that we had that were just so tight, one-possession games.”

Indiana began the season ranked 17th in the AP Poll but quickly saw that ranking erased. It was a season with a lot of expectation and hope, with lofty goals.

Indiana will hear its fate at 6:00 pm ET on CBS when the full bracket is revealed. Until then, it’s a grueling wait and see time period.

“All I’m concerned about is the players. It’s not really about me,” Woodson said. “It’s been a good run since I’ve been here, and I’m just hoping that it’s not over with yet. But I’ll spend time with our players until the selection committee makes a decision on what they’re going to do.”

SEE ALSO: Indiana basketball watches another critical opportunity pass by — this time the most costly of all. Why? The all-too-familiar ‘missed execution’ and ‘little things’

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