BASKETBALL

In a season full of inconsistency, Luke Goode has been ‘our constant guy’ for IU basketball

Despite the ups and downs of this year for IU basketball, it’s been Luke Goode to provide consistent production game in and game out.

Published

20 hours ago

February 20, 2025

Alec Lasley

Despite the ups and downs of this year for IU basketball, it's been Luke Goode to provide consistent production game in and game out. (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)

It wasn’t an easy adjustment for Luke Goode when he announced he would be transferring to Indiana from Illinois. The sharpshooter was a life-long IU fan, with numerous ties to the university. It was a perfect match off the court, and on it. IU basketball was missing a knockdown shooter and Goode was that guy.

But, it wasn’t that simple. The senior wing, a career 38.8 percent three-point shooter in his first three seasons, took time to adjust to his new environment. Whether it was pressure he was putting on himself because of the expectations in a different jersey, or just simply taking a while to find his role with seven new faces coming together learning a new system and learning each other’s skillsets.

Through the first 12 games of the season, Goode was shooting just 34 percent from three and had just three games with more than one made 3. Then, things seemed to click and that coincided with Goode’s emergence in the starting lineup. Over the next eight games — all in the starting lineup — Goode shot 47.7 percent from three and was making 2.6 3s a game. He had five games in that eight game stretch with at least three made 3s.

His scoring average went from 6.1 points per game to 12.3 per game.

There was also no coincidence that Indiana went on a four-game winning streak following Goode’s spot in the starting five.

But with the difficulties of finding the right five on the floor at times was a concern for this team, knowing it had two very talented big men in Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau. The Reneau injury gave IU basketball the flexibility to play small, and showed that was clearly IU’s best lineup.

“Luke Goode. He’s giving great minutes and playing smaller has benefited us a little bit,” IU assistant coach Kenya Hunter said on Monday’s radio show. “We’re not going to go back to Ballo and Malik … It’s about getting the right group of guys in and being able to capitalize whether we are big or small, being able to score and make shots and not turning the ball over.”

Over the last five games, Indiana’s five most frequently used lineups have been with both Luke Goode and Mackenzie Mgbako on the floor — playing the three and the four. In fact, just two of the top 10 frequently used lineups are with two bigs on the floor.

Why? Because in a season that has been extremely inconsistent, Goode’s production is one of the few consistencies and his play is too great to keep of the floor.

“Luke has been our constant guy who has contributed game in and game out and we need that consistency,” Hunter continued. “He’s a great team guy as well … he’s helped us on both ends of the floor. If we can get other guys to get more consistent like he’s shown, it’ll help us down the stretch.”

Goode started eight straight games before moving back to the bench for the return of Malik Reneau — who missed five games with a knee injury. Then, it was a four-game absence from the starting lineup, all losses.

He’s been in the starting group for the last two games.

Over the course of the last 14 games, he’s averaged 11.5 points and shot 43.6 percent from three. In his 10 starts, he’s averaged 12.4 points and shot 43.9 percent from three.

If Indiana is going to find any late season magic over the final five games, it will almost certainly include Goode making shots, and plays — something he’s done consistently all season long.

“Something the coaches always says is, ‘water finds its level’. I came into a season as a career 40 percent guy and people knew that, and when I’m not there it’s going to find its level,” Goode said earlier this year about his slow start. “So I had the confidence and my teammates had the confidence in me to know when I’m out there it’s going to go up. I’m not going to lose that confidence in myself.”