Mike Woodson blasts Indiana for lack of toughness following 4th straight loss
Mike Woodson was not thrilled with Indiana after another loss in Big Ten play, and for good reason.
On Tuesday night, the Hoosiers traveled to Wisconsin and were almost immediately in hot water. The Badgers opened the game with a 19-2 run and relatively cruised to a 76-64 win in Madison.
The win is Wisconsin’s 21st straight against Indiana in Madison, but the ramifications for the Hoosiers’ season are more severe. It is a 4th straight defeat for Indiana and the 6th loss in the last 7 games with Woodson’s group falling off the NCAA Tournament bubble.
After the game, Woodson set his sights on what he believes is a group that lacks toughness at this point in the season. That’s not a great outlook for the Hoosiers who must still face some tough B1G foes and a trip to the West Coast before the season wraps up.
“We’re just not a tough team right now,” Woodson said per the AP. “We’re not. Mentally we’re not tough.”
Making Tuesday’s performance more disappointing is the fact that Indiana was coming off a hard-fought loss to Purdue on Friday night. While the Hoosiers did lose that rivalry game, they were in it until the very end in a raucous road environment in West Lafayette.
Now, there’s no way to slice it other than owning up to the fact that Indiana’s NCAA Tournament hopes are fading fast. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi now has the Hoosiers off the bubble for the moment and squarely outside of the “first four out” section.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 5, 2025
“It’s not rocket science,” Woodson said. “Right now, our backs are against the wall. We’re not playing great basketball. We’re playing in spurts. I thought the last three games prior to tonight we played pretty good ball, and we came up short. We just win maybe one or two of those, you’re feeling good about yourself. I’ve got to figure out a game where we can get these guys back feeling good about themselves and see where it goes from there.”
Moving forward
Indiana’s best chance to make an NCAAT statement comes in the next 4 games, starting with a home matchup against No. 24 Michigan. Then, the Hoosiers will face No. 9 Michigan State in East Lansing.
Indiana’s rivalry rematch with Purdue comes on Feb. 23, giving the program 3 of the next 4 games against ranked opponents. And even if the Hoosiers do make some headway in that portion of the schedule, they’ll need to avoid a letdown during their West Coast trip at Washington (March 1) and at Oregon (March 4).
That’s not the easiest ask in the world, but that’s what the Hoosiers are looking at after their recent slide in league play.