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After nearly a week off, Indiana hits the road for a massive showdown against top-25 Ohio State. Indiana comes in as losers of four straight in a time where its NCAA Tournament hopes continue to fade.

The Hoosiers sit at 16-9 (7-8) but haven't won in the month of February and have a very weak non-conference schedule to fall back on.

Monday's matchup against the Buckeyes gives the Hoosiers another potential top-25 win and one that would come at a great time.

"We have five games to go and I think we still control our own destiny," IU head coach Mike Woodson said. "It is not like every game that we have played we have not competed in. We have been in every game. We just have not been able to close and that is kind of disturbing. I put that on myself as the coach because it is my job to get them over the hump. But they still have to play, so it is kind of back-and-forth with the coaches and players."

Indiana has wins over Ohio State and Purdue this season. It also has losses to Penn State, Syracuse Northwestern and Michigan -- all four teams either non-tournament teams or on the outside looking in at the moment.

Closing games out has been an issue all season long and even dating back to last yer for this program. IU had a 17-point halftime lead against Wisconsin in Madison, led for 30 minutes against the Badgers in Bloomington, fell apart late against Iowa and couldn't score in the last three minutes against Northwestern.

"We're not that good yet," Woodson said. "We're still a work in this progress trying to figure it out down the stretch. We've played some good basketball this season. We just haven't been consistent in bringing them home. Been in every ball game fighting battling. Can't take that away from our guys because they do fight.

Not only is winning late difficult, but winning in the months of February and March as as well. In the last four seasons, the Hoosiers are 52-27 from November to January. But following Tuesday's loss to Wisconsin, they are just 15-25 from February through March.

"They are kind of looking over their shoulders again, you know, at past years and how things have happened to them coming down the stretch, man, and I got to help them get over that somehow," Woodson added. "But we got to learn how to win. I got help them in that area."

The Hoosiers can look to an early season matchup with the Buckeyes for re-assurance that they can win Monday's game. In the first matchup, IU beat Ohio State 67-51 in Bloomington. Ohio State is also gearing up for its fourth game in nine days. However, the Buckeyes are coming off of a 13-point loss to Iowa in Columbus.

"Somehow, we have to break the ice," Woodson said. "We have a big game on Monday night at Ohio State. They lost on their home floor today. They are going to be hungry based on the game that we had here. We have to come ready to play."

As IU takes the court on Monday, it's 'now or never' for a team that hasn't played in the NCAA Tournament since 2016. A win on Monday will go a long way in determining the outcome of the season for the Hoosiers.

"Until we can break this ice… these guys, they do not know what it feels like to make the NCAA Tournament and really compete for a Big Ten title," Woodson noted. "They do not understand that yet.

"The only thing that is going to help is winning... When you have a bunch of guys that have never won, the mental thing starts to play a role. It is my job to ease that."

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