‘These guys are playing for something’: With free minds and pressure aside, Indiana basketball playing for ‘something big’ — a chance in March

BLOOMINGTON, Ind — Indiana basketball was in the middle of a streak that would yield a run of seven losses in eight games that all but eliminated the Hoosiers from an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. Then, it was a win over No. 11 Michigan State in East Lansing that was like a trick pulled out of a hat. Following a loss at home to UCLA after the win over the Spartans, any little glimmer of hope from the fan base and even the players seemed to be gone.

Despite looking more connected and playing much better, there could be no moral victories. IU needed wins if it was going to have any shot of doing anything at the tale end of the season. Then things shifted. A dominant second-half against No. 13 Purdue led to a double-digit win over the Boilermakers, giving IU its second top-15 win in three games — a stat that nobody thought was possible just a week prior.

But the work wasn’t done yet. A home game against Penn State on Wednesday would show if this team had potentially turned the corner and could be in contention for the NCAA Tournament, or if those ‘fluke‘ wins were just that — flukes.

After an 83-78 win over the Nittany Lions on Wednesday, Indiana basketball showed the resiliency it needed to stay alive — the theme of every team as the calendar turns to March; Survive and Advance.

“I think we’re coming together and we know we’re a better team than we’ve shown,” IU senior guard Trey Galloway said following the win. “And we still have a chance and we’re fighting for a spot in the (NCAA) tournament and we’re fighting for just getting better and pushing our record in the Big Ten.”

On the heels of a major win against Purdue, a letdown was the all-too-familiar expectation that had become synonymous with Indiana over the last few years. Struggling to close out games was also on the minds of everyone inside of Assembly Hall on Wednesday as both teams failed to create any separation more than two possessions for the majority of the night. That was also the theme of the program this season, with five of the previous six losses coming by single digits.

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But Wednesday was the type of performance Indiana basketball had been searching for over the last two months. While it may not have been always pretty on both ends of the floor for the entire night, the connectedness of the players and coaches seemed at a high — going back to the common goal of finding a way, any way, to get back into the NCAA Tournament conversation.

“These guys are playing for something,” Mike Woodson said. “We’re trying to get in the tournament. And we’ve got three games left.”

Whether it was the 24 assists on 29 made field goals or the back-to-back 3s from Trey Galloway to take a five-point lead with 5:14 left, or the defense that failed to get multiple stops throughout the first 35 minutes — dig deep and force Penn State to go 2-of-10 to close the game, Indiana basketball did what it needed to at this point in the season, and specifically their season.

“You know, at this point in the season every game is important,” Senior center Oumar Ballo said. “But this one is special because we know we’re playing for something big.”

For Galloway, Ballo and other seniors like Anthony Leal and potentially Luke Goode — they’ve all had different paths to this point, with just one home game left in the season and their career — and they’re doing everything they can to help lift IU to postseason play.

“I think we just have to keep reminding each other to cherish every moment because wins and losses, it’s all special because you’re learning through it all,” Galloway said. “So I think just really cherishing these moments because when it’s over we’re all going to miss it and it’s going to be tough to really understand what it meant to put this uniform on and to go to war with our brothers every day.”

“They don’t get another shot at this. So they know what it’s about,” Woodson added. “Anthony and Gallo have been with me the longest. Goode has had a good run at Illinois; now he’s with us. Ballo is a senior. Gotta ride them, see where it leads us.”

And with three games left, they’re right where they want it — a chance to play in March at their fingertips and to complete a total 180-degree change in just a few short weeks.

“We have to take every game as important and we have to finish the season strong, not just for us but for the fans,” Ballo said. “And I feel like they deserve that, and we’re pushing forward for that.”

SEE ALSO: ‘I never stopped believing in Trey’: Explosive second half performance from Trey Galloway ignites Indiana basketball offense in win over Penn State

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