With four straight losses, the Indiana Hoosiers look doomed for the NCAA Tournament.
Let’s rewind to Nov. 21. Thanksgiving was on the horizon, the 2016-17 college basketball season was a few weeks old, and the Indiana Hoosiers were on top of the world. Fans of the program had stars in their eyes, hoping this was the year Indiana returned to the national stage.
Why not, right? I mean, Indiana was 3-0 and had just beaten the Kansas Jayhawks in overtime. Their was a roster laden with superstars and a coach, Tom Crean, who looked like he was finally coming into his own.
Nov. 21 was the day that the dream stopped, as the following night the Hoosiers traveled to lowly IPFW and were upset 71-68.
The upset by IPFW set the college basketball landscape on its ear, making national headlines and grabbing the attention of the biggest names in the sport.
Toast of the college hoops landscape the MASTADONS of IPFW with stunning major upset over INDIANA
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) November 23, 2016
Saturday Blitz
Over the next month, the Hoosiers would have a few more big wins, including a triumph over the North Carolina Tar Heels, who were a top-five team at the time.
When conference play rolled around in late December, Indiana was 10-2 and still thought of as a national contender. However, their Big Ten opener against Nebraska proved to a disappointment, losing at home to the Cornhuskers 87-83.
Following the loss to Nebraska was back-to-back defeats at the hands of Louisville and Wisconsin.
After dropping completely out of the national rankings, the Hoosiers bounced back with four wins in their next five games. Although, their record looked good in the standings, the team was stunned by the loss of superstar OG Anunoby.
Throughout the year, Anunoby was tasked with guarding the opponent’s best player, while adding 11.1 points per game.
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With Anunoby ruled out for the season, the vibe around Indiana changed dramatically.
The Hoosiers went into a tailspin, losing all the ground they had gained before Anunoby’s injury. First, it was a 90-60 blowout loss at Michigan, followed by three more losses in their next four games.
To make matters worse, Indiana suffered another big injury, this time to leading scorer James Blackmon Jr.
By the time of the Bracketology with Joe Lunardi release on Feb. 10, the Hoosiers were left dangling by a thread. They were in, but barely, as Lunardi had them as one of his “Last Four In.”
Firmly on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, the Hoosiers needed to get things back on track. They had two manageable games ahead of them; Michigan at home and Minnesota on the road, plus the exciting news that they would be at full strength (minus Anunoby).
Michigan 75, Indiana 63
Minnesota 75, Indiana 74
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Just like that.
Down go the Hoosiers, down go the hopes of a long tournament run.
In the Feb. 16 edition of Bracketology with Joe Lunardi, the Hoosiers were nowhere to be found in the group of 68. Instead, the historic Indiana program was relegated to the “Next Four Out” category, with little chance of a tournament berth.
According to TeamRankings.com, Indiana has only a 13 percent chance to make the NCAA Tournament and even that seems high. The Hoosiers would need to win out in Big Ten play, or make a serious run in the Big Ten Tournament.
Unfortunately, three of their remaining four games will be on the road, with their only home game being against red-hot Northwestern.
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Many people are calling for Tom Crean’s job, complete with a Twitter campaign and numerous national headlines. However, no one knows what’s going inside the program, whether he’ll be retained or cut loose. The only thing we do know, is that Nov. 21 seems like a lifetime ago.