Harsh home atmosphere reflects the cruel realities of lost Indiana season
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A student sat with one leg outstretched over the seat in front of him.
In a normal year – rather, a more successful year – this generally isn’t possible. The student section inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, regarded as one of the conference’s largest and nation’s loudest, is typically standing room only.
But this isn’t a successful year. Indiana is mere seconds away from suffering its third consecutive Big Ten loss, and this one will come to a team that was winless in road league games prior to Wednesday’s affair.
This student is amongst few others who have stuck it out to the final buzzer, seeing a 15-point loss to Nebraska in all of its entirety. His face is long and blank, as if he’s all out of reactions to offer. Many others’ backs are turned when the horn does sound, filing out of the Hoosiers’ home fortress that has been an inviting arena for too many of its visitors this year.
Now, Indiana has lost four home games in Big Ten play with just two such chances remaining. That's not satisfactory of a team that had higher aspirations for this campaign, but that's what this year has become.
“You have to win at home in the Big Ten,” Indiana third-year head coach Mike Woodson said. “I said that when I first walked through this door. It’s always been that way. Figure the road out when you get there, but you can’t lose games at home.”
The faithful that pack these halls and provide the home court advantage capable of making a difference, the one that’s propelled Indiana to consistent prominence in the past, was once again left grasping at straws for something to get behind Wednesday night. Because on this evening, the building never once flirted with full capacity, and those in attendance voiced displeasures of the product presented to it were audible and frequent. They’ve not seen the product they’ve desired, and neither has Indiana.
Nebraska’s modern, moving offense ran circles around the IU defense in the first stretch of play and hung 35 points on the scoreboard through the game’s first 12 minutes. The Cornhuskers were 14-of-22 from the field and 6-of-11 from three. That type of explosive offense has been foreign to this Indiana team all season.
It’s embarrassing, one fan said to another. We’re getting run out of our own f—ing gym.
That total ballooned to 51 by the end of the half, and Indiana trailed by 20. The boos rained torrentially.
“I mean, it’s part of it,” senior guard Trey Galloway said when asked about the reactions. “I can’t worry about that. I got to worry about helping my team, and we got to be focused on each other and can’t worry about the outside noise. Just be a unit and stick together.”
The Hoosiers bolted out of the second half gates to a 25-8 start. The sizable gap reduced to three, Assembly Hall was a frenzy for the first time all evening. This was the building we’ve come to know it to be.
But too often this year, Indiana’s promising play only comes in spurts. This was the last gasp the Hoosiers could muster.
Nebraska’s countering 14-1 run effectively put the game out of reach. Indiana called timeout, and the exits once again flooded. These fans have watched this team all season long. Their confidence of whether or not Indiana possessed another spirited rally had waned past belief.
“When you give up 51 points in the Big Ten in a half, you’re not going to beat anybody,” Woodson said. “Yeah we played great the second half… but you can’t have halves like that.”
“We’ve played well enough this year in spurts, but not well enough to complete ball games. That’s what makes it frustrating.”
IU never again pulled the deficit within single digits.
Indiana stares down sole possession of 11th place when they awake on Thursday, and the adversity is only mounting further. Frustrations are building, both on the floor and in the stands. It shouldn’t be this way for Indiana, for a variety of factors, but it's the reality it faces in a derailed season. They know it.
“Nobody is going to feel sorry for Indiana basketball,” Woodson said. “They’re not.”
He’s right, and the atmosphere around this team reflects it. That's not the standard in previous years.
But this year isn't up to standard.
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