If you were creating an art gallery of what this version of the Indiana Hoosiers can do in the NCAA Tournament, their last two games would be the feature pieces.
Following a triumphant display inside Mackey Arena last weekend that saw IU earn their first road win in West Lafayette since 2013, the feelings on how far the Hoosiers could go in the NCAA Tournament were at their peak.
“You cannot go home & not validate what you did tonight.” pic.twitter.com/9fJFb4pzUR
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) February 27, 2023
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Second weekend team for sure. Maybe even a run beyond that with the right draw.
Then, in the blink of an eye (or in reality a pain-staking, torturous, 40 minutes), those expectations and the feelings about this team reached their lowest point of the season thanks to a 90-68 throttling at home by the Iowa Hawkeyes.
The defensive performance was horrific and scoring was at a such a premium that it’s incredible Trayce Jackson-Davis put up 26. It was easily the worst display from Indiana this year.
Final. pic.twitter.com/u3iNmZCLWv
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) March 1, 2023
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That’s why it is so unbelievably fitting that the worst loss of the year would not only occur this late in the season, but would follow arguably their best display in that win over the Boilermakers.
So which Indiana Hoosiers team will we see when March Madness arrives? The one that looked like a legitimate contender, or the one that could be headed for a first round exit.
With one regular season game remaining, and the Big Ten Tournament to follow, the Hoosiers are running out of time to answer that question.
Wednesday on The Fan Midday Show the talented Jess Settles of the Big Ten Network stopped by to share his takeaways from Iowa’s dominant road win over Indiana.
Jess also discussed with us:
- what from IU’s performance concerns him the most
- if the loss is a red flag for Indiana’s tournament chances
- the biggest change he’s seen from Iowa the last few games
- how challenging it can be to come back down to earth after a big time win
- what the ceiling is for the 2022-23 Indiana Hoosiers
Listen to our full conversation with the Big Ten Network’s Jess Settles and don’t miss The Fan Midday Show, weekdays 12-3pm Eastern, on The Fan.
