An all-too-familiar script. Indiana was getting out-hustled, out-coached and out-classed by Purdue. Indiana trailed 37-25 at the end of the first half. Apart from a blip in 2022-2023, Indiana has served as a punching bag to Purdue for a decade. In many ways, the turbulent Hoosiers have been the perfect foil to the ever-steady Boilermakers during that time.
Truthfully, I was only half paying attention as Indiana rattled off seven quick points to start the half. They scored those seven points in 50 seconds, forcing Matt Painter to call a timeout to regroup his team. From there, the Hoosiers buried Purdue alive as Indiana strolled their way to a 73-58 win, and the final score didn’t do the game justice. It was the most complete game Indiana had played all season. Something was markedly different about the Hoosiers in the second half of that game. Indiana played with a fire, an intensity, and above all a purpose.
Mike Woodsoon has finally found his best lineup. Trey Galloway, Myles Rice, Anthony Leal, Luke Goode, and either Malik Reneau or Oumar Ballo form a six-man rotation that gives Indiana flexibility, particularly on the defensive end. It’s an older, veteran rotation that oozes tournament experience. In the Hoosiers’ two wins over ranked teams it’s no coincidence that these players logged the most minutes, and in turn, the defense was kicked up several levels.
The group has a cohesion that the roster as a whole has lacks. They are unselfish, disciplined and care only about making decisions that lead to winning. The proof is in the pudding for these Hoosiers. From a statistical perspective, nothing leaps off the page from the last six games, but the eye-test shows a team with the ability to win in different ways. From a slug-fest at Michigan State to a shootout against Penn State (without Reneau), Indiana is playing its best ball at the right time.
It all comes back to the six players who make up this rotation. Galloway and Rice have excelled at applying on-ball pressure and making (mostly) smart offensive decisions. Goode has shot about 45% from 3 during that stretch on a relatively high volume, which has spaced the floor well for Ballo and Reneau. With this added room, it gives the bigs a chance to operate freely in the paint, while also presenting them the option to spread the ball out to shooters.
Finally, and most importantly, Leal is the secret sauce. He is a connector, someone who will never make the biggest impact in the box score, but his impact is felt game in and game out. Leal’s willingness to dive on the floor for loose balls, guard the other team’s best player, and make the extra pass make him indispensable.
The numbers back up this lineup’s dominance. According to Hoop-Explorer, of the Hoosier lineups with at least 50 possessions, the two platoons of Galloway, Rice, Leal, Goode, and either Ballo or Reneau clearly outpace all other lineups in terms of Net Rating. The lineup with Reneau at center shoots a near impossible 95.8% at the rim, and that’s just scratching the surface when it comes to impressive stats derived from these two groups. The Reneau lineup also allows a mere 17.6% of opponent 3s to convert, while the Ballo lineup shoots a blistering 42.9% from behind the arc.
Perhaps it’s more telling of who isn’t playing rather than who is. Bryson Tucker has seen his minutes evaporate and during the key moments of this six-game stretch Mackenzie Mgbako has been notably absent. The explanation for Tucker is somewhat obvious: he’s a freshman, and his lack of a reliable 3-point jumpshot and inconsistent defense mean that he’s somewhat of a liability when on the court.
Mgbako, being Indiana’s best pure scorer, is more difficult to figure out. Or is it? I’ll put it this way, Indiana’s turnaround has been predicated on a team-first dynamic that prioritizes defense and selfless basketball. That is not Mgbako’s M.O. He’s there to get buckets and play C+ defense (at best). If Leal’s NBA equivalent is Josh Hart, then Mgbako’s is Michael Porter Jr. It likely isn’t an accident that during Indiana’s best wins, Mgbako’s minutes have plummeted.
It’s evident that Galloway, Rice, Leal, Goode, Ballo and Reneau are Indiana’s best six players, yet Woodson just can’t help himself. During this stretch he continues to tinker with the lineups despite the fact that these six players so easily eclipse all others on the roster. I understand attempting to give Kanaan Carlyle some minutes here and there as he is coming back from an injury. In theory, Carlyle’s aggressive defense fits in nicely and Galloway, Rice, Leal and Goode have all logged 32+ minutes recently. However, I believe that Woodson’s constantly fiddling with the rotations hurt the team.
Everything points to the fact that those six players are Indiana’s best chance at competing in the NCAA Tournament. The loss to the Ducks hurts Indiana’s odds at making the tournament but the Hoosiers can be buoyed if they close out the season with a win against Ohio State, another bubble team. A victory over the Buckeyes also means that Indiana would receive a bye in the Big Ten Tournament and a chance for revenge versus Oregon.
The season is far from over for Indiana. The team’s ceiling is high, but the floor is just as low. There is talent sprinkled throughout this roster (there’s a reason they were ranked to start the season) and it’s Woodson’s burden to tap into this potential. If the Hoosiers want to make some noise in March, Wood needs to realize that if it’s not broken, then there’s no need to fix it.
