Indiana Basketball had one last opportunity for a signature resume victory in the regular season against Purdue but couldn’t get it done.
Indiana Basketball lost to the Purdue Boilermakers, 69-67. The Hoosiers were led by Xavier Johnson with 18 points on 46 percent shooting from the floor. Additionally, Johnson had 12 assists. The Boilermakers were led by Eric Hunter Jr. Hunter Jr had 17 points on 58 percent shooting.
Purdue took an early lead in this game. The Hoosiers could not secure defensive rebounds and struggled to score. With around five minutes left in the first half, Purdue had a 13 point lead. It seemed like the Boilermakers would win this game until Xavier Johnson lead a comeback. Johnson’s clutch scoring made the game a four-point lead going into halftime.
After Purdue extend their lead to point points, Xavier Johnson and company led a Hoosier comeback. Midway through the second half, Indiana took the lead off a Johnson bucket. Johnson went to the bench limping after a slight ankle injury. Purdue comeback and the game was tied with around five minutes to go.
After Purdue made a three on an off-ball screen, Johnson came back in the game. From then on, the offense consisted of Johnson getting a pick from Trayce Jackson-Davis. That action was very successful, as they made the rest of their field goals on that type of play.
With around two minutes, Indiana was down four points. Miller Kopp made a jumper to make the game a 2-point game with 1:42 to go. Despite getting stops, Indiana could not capitalize and get a score. After Kopp turned the ball over, Trevion Williams got two free throws to win the game, Williams made both.
Despite making both, Johnson got quickly fouled. As Purdue was in the bonus, Johnson got two free throws. Johnson made both free throws to make it a two-point game. Williams got fouled again and missed both free throws. Johnson got the inbound and took a horrible shot to try and draw a foul to win the game.
Johnson did not draw a foul and Purdue won the game. Johnson should have tried to pass it to a cutting Race Thompson or passed it to Jackson-Davis, who was quickly running up the floor. If Jackson Davis got the ball, he could have driven to the mid-range area to try a game-winning shot.
Indiana will need to make a run in the Big Ten Tournament to get a bid in the NCAA tournament. The Hoosiers are the 9 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Depending on the Michigan-Ohio State/Maryland-Michigan State game, the Hoosiers will play Michigan or Michigan State in the first round. If they advance past the first round, Indiana will play Wisconsin.
Indiana will need to reach the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament to even be considered for an at-large NCAA tournament bid. Most likely, Indiana will need a win in the semifinals to secure a large NCAA tournament bid. They will most likely face Ohio State or Rutgers in the semifinals if the current seeds stay the way they are.