Indiana was blown out against No. 19 Illinois, 94-69, on one of the ugliest nights in recent memory at Assembly Hall.
BLOOMINGTON — Boos rained down in unison. Chants of “Fire Woodson” echoed throughout Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Droves of IU students and fans flooded the exits at halftime. Calbert Cheaney shook his head in disbelief as he walked off the court. And Indiana was blown out at home against No. 19 Illinois, 94-69, on one of the ugliest nights in recent memory at 17th Street and Fee Lane.
Forget the game for a moment. It was what it was. Illinois, led by star freshman Kasparas Jakucionis, went on a 20-4 scoring run early in the first half and the floodgates opened. The final damage: Indiana’s second-largest defeat in Assembly Hall history.
But the scenes emanating from the seats and rafters told an even uglier story. Indiana fans booed their own players. Mike Woodson was akin to a human piñata which had no choice but to take the hammering until the final buzzer sounded. With over five minutes left in the game, Assembly Hall looked more like a barren wasteland than the host venue for a Big Ten game.
And down on the Indiana bench, there was no mistaking that the Hoosiers felt, saw and heard it, too. Some players buried their heads in towels. Others stared blankly and shellshocked. IU’s assistant coaches sat in their chairs for much of the second half with disbelief painted clear across their faces. Even Woodson, who is often on his feet near the scorer’s table, couldn’t bare to stand and watch any longer.
Assembly Hall has seen its share of dark moments throughout IU history — especially in the 21st century — but nothing quite like Tuesday night. It was ugly. Real ugly.
“I understand it. We got embarrassed,” IU senior guard Luke Goode said postgame. “We have to wear this jersey with more pride as Indiana players. This program is too historical and too great to be represented like that.”
After losing by 25 points at Iowa just three nights prior, Indiana’s response against Illinois was far from sufficient. The Fighting Illini battered the Hoosiers for 60 points in the first half, Woodson said postgame he “wish I knew” why it happened, and the Assembly Hall crowd decided enough was enough.
So the boos and chants grew louder and louder. The frustration and vitriol inside the hallowed walls was palpable. No amount of marching band music, DJ songs, halftime shows or timeout theatrics could distract Hoosier Nation from voicing their displeasure.
Less than a week ago, Indiana was riding a five-game win streak, including three-straight against Big Ten foes, and had seemingly worked past its early-season struggles. A week later, the Hoosiers are left soul-searching — individually, as a team, and as a program.
“I don’t think we carry on like normal,” IU fifth-year guard Anthony Leal said postgame. “Obviously things need to be addressed between players and themselves and players and each other. I think that’s really the root of it.
“We just got to lock in, look in the mirror, and understand how embarrassing and unacceptable this is and understand that nobody gets where they want to go if the team doesn’t win.”
The term “nobody” applies to everybody: the players, the coaches, the fanbase and anyone else who harbors ownership in what’s transpired over the last two games.
To Leal, Goode and, yes, even Woodson’s credit, they all faced the public onslaught head-on Tuesday night and didn’t sugarcoat it. There was no denying or excusing Indiana’s lifeless performance against Illinois, and they each acknowledged it as such.
But for a team that is arguably Woodson’s most talented in his four seasons at Indiana, acknowledgement simply won’t suffice for Hoosier Nation. They demanded answers, and they wanted them before each individual departed their postgame press conference.
Woodson’s explanation: “I got to make some changes. We haven’t been getting off to a good start in terms of who we’ve been starting. Sure, we do miss Malik (Reneau). He’s a big piece to the puzzle. But I got to put guys in there that I think is going to get us off to a good start and see if we can maintain it over a 40-minute ball game.”
Goode’s explanation: “We’re not playing tough enough. We need to come out and be ready and stick to the game plan and the scouting report. That’s been our biggest issue so far. We come out and let teams kind of punk us in a sense. I think we need to be better and have a closer attention to detail on the scouting report.”
Leal’s explanation: “We just aren’t matching anybody’s toughness or togetherness or effort right now. I think that’s the problem.”
Three different perspectives, all circling back to the same result. Honest? Sure. Sufficient? That’s for each fan to decide for themselves.
However, honesty can only go so far when Indiana’s season is on the brink of a complete collapse. The Hoosiers own just one Quadrant-1 victory this season, have been blown out by five different high-major opponents, and are in the thick of their toughest stretch of games this season.
Indiana has nowhere to escape at this point. There’s no lowly non-conference team awaiting to help IU rediscover itself. There’s no bottom-barrel Big Ten team upcoming that’s going to feel bad for the Hoosiers. And there’s certainly no fanbase that’s going to be easily swayed back into Indiana’s good graces.
This is the sobering reality that the Hoosiers now face, created from their own actions and performance this season, with time quickly ticking to show even a shroud of optimism that brighter days could be ahead at Assembly Hall.
“Do I think we’re good enough to win?” Woodson said. “Yeah, I do. I just got to get us to believe that and keep pushing these guys in the right direction.”
