Indiana basketball set for a possible redemption vs Oregon in the Big Ten Tournament

It is now official. Indiana basketball will be entering as the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten Tournament with their win over Ohio State on Saturday afternoon. The Hoosiers are one of the five teams that earned a single bye when it comes to the conference tournament.

The opponent for Indiana will be the No. 8 seeded Oregon Ducks, a team that Indiana recently just met just less than a week ago. The outcome of the last game saw the Ducks sneak out a 73-64 win over Indiana basketball.

Of course as everyone will remember, that game did not come without controversy.

Indiana, for the most part, played well enough to get the win, even leading with less than two minutes to go before Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad hit a miracle three to eventually push the Ducks to the win.

They shot was not the controversy, however. The controversy came throughout the game, specifically when it came to foul count of a lopsided 21-7 foul count in favor of a physical Oregon team.

“We had our chances. But listen guys, in a physical game like this, it can’t be 21-7 (on free throw attempts).” Mike Woodson said after the Oregon loss. “You gotta be kidding me. 21-7 on fucking free throws is bullshit. It just can’t be, not in a physical game. They’re a physical team, and it can’t be that lopsided. It’s impossible.”

Indiana basketball has easily been playing their best basketball this season over the course of this last month and the Oregon loss is viewed as a hiccup that Indiana wants back. Now, they have a redemption opportunity on Thursday.

With the win over Ohio State, Indiana basketball is likely in the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens when they face Oregon. While that is nice to have in the back pocket, Mike Woodson and his team still have a goal to win the Big Ten Tournament. When Mike Woodson took over the program, he said that he wanted to bring a championship to the program and they once again have another chance to do so.

“I mean, we hope to start playing our best basketball right now because this is when it really counts going into the Big Ten Tournament and March Madness,” said senior wing Anthony Leal. “For us, it’s learning from those little things and knowing our goals are all still right front of us.”

Mike Woodson was able to go out with a win along with his seniors on Saturday night however, there is still a lot that Indiana basketball can fight for with the season not being over just yet.

It starts with a possible redemption vs Oregon on Thursday. After that, who knows what this team can accomplish in the postseason.

“You know, we still have an opportunity to win the Big Ten Tournament,” said Mike Woodson. “Just like the other 14 teams that will be in it.”

“…that’s all I’m thinking about at this point. You know, nothing else.”

See Also: ‘It’s almost like a dream come true’: Forced three point attempt in shot clock disaster allows Trey Galloway to bury Ohio State on Indiana basketball senior day

Make sure to follow Hoosier Illustrated, part of the Full Ride Network, on Twitter @Indiana_FRN, Facebook and YouTube to stay up to date on all of the news, updates and coverage of Indiana University athletics. You can also listen to the Talking’ Bout the Hoosiers podcast on Spotify.

Looking for a place to get more Indiana content? Hoosier Illustrated has partnered with Tom Brady’s company ‘Autograph’ to streamline our coverage, so you can continue to do what you do best – follow IU sports. Use the CODE: Indianafr to get started today. For more info, you can start here.