Mike Woodson produced some big steps forward for Indiana this season and showed some growth for the Hoosiers. Unfortunately, that made Sunday’s Round of 32 loss to Miami even more confounding for the program.

After trailing by just 5 points at halftime, the Hurricanes hit the gas pedal late in the second half to blow past the Hoosiers. When it was all said and done, Indiana sustained a blowout 85-69 loss to miss out on the Sweet 16 once again.

After the loss, Woodson admitted it was a tough one to wrap his head around. He felt like Indiana was still in a solid position to make a deep run in March.

“This one is tough to swallow because I truly believe that this team had a legitimate shot,” said Woodson. “As a coach, I put so much pressure and heat on myself to get teams over the hump, so I’ve got to take some responsibility for this one tonight.

“Even though we didn’t play nowhere near where I thought we should be playing, you’ve got to give Miami a lot of credit. They played extremely well tonight. When I look at the stat sheet and look at the paint points and the rebounding, that’s just not Indiana basketball. That’s where the game was won.”

Woodson went so far as to admit the Hoosiers “were complaining a lot” during the game, something the head coach said cannot happen at this level.

“Yes, we were complaining a lot. You can’t do that in big-time college basketball games,” Woodson explained. “They let you play. And you should want to be in that position to be let to play. We didn’t compete. They were the better team tonight.”

What’s next for Indiana?

While another NCAA Tournament loss is tough to swallow, the Hoosiers on a solid trajectory to begin Woodson’s tenure. After making it into the tournament a year ago as a No. 12 seed, the Hoosiers made it into this year’s tournament as a 4-seed and top-25 program.

Woodson said the program has taken steps forward, but it’s still “not good enough as far as I’m concerned.”

“We made a step forward based on where we were a year ago, but it’s not good enough as far as I’m concerned. It’s not,” said Woodson. “We’ve got to get better from a personnel standpoint, and I’ve got to get better as a coach. I mean, it’s just that simple.”

With that kind of drive and attitude, we’ll see if the Hoosiers can make a run at a B1G Title and deep March Madness run next season.

(H/T ASAP Sports)