Indiana coach Mike Woodson has stalked the sideline for multiple NBA teams and played for the ultimate bottom-line coach as a Hoosier in Bob Knight.
So in the minutes after Indiana lost 84-83 at home to Big Ten Conference foe Northwestern on Sunday — a loss that toppled it out of the AP Top 25 on Monday — Woodson predictably didn’t hunt excuses.
“We got to keep working,” he said. “Nobody is going to feel sorry for the Indiana Hoosiers. … We got key guys that are sitting on the bench not in uniform, but we’ve got other guys that are in uniform that’s got to step up and play.”
Their next chance to do that is Wednesday night when they travel to University Park, Pa., for a meeting with Penn State that figures to be another difficult Big Ten assignment.
Playing without Race Thompson (leg) and Xavier Johnson (foot), Indiana (10-5, 1-3 Big Ten) fell behind by 17 in the first half and couldn’t make it up despite a pair of superhuman individual efforts.
Jalen Hood-Schifino pumped in a career-high 33 points, the most by a Hoosier freshman in 16 years. Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 18 points, grabbed 24 rebounds and dished out eight assists while playing the full 40 minutes.
Jackson-Davis is playing through back issues.
“I get treatment and then I play. That’s what I do,” he said.
Meanwhile, Penn State (11-5, 2-3) is coming off Sunday’s 76-63 loss to then-No. 1 Purdue in a Big Ten game played at the famed Palestra in Philadelphia. The Nittany Lions led 37-31 at halftime before the Boilermakers rode 30 points and 13 rebounds from 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey to victory.
Jalen Pickett supplied 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in a yeoman’s effort, but outside of Seth Lundy’s 14 points, didn’t get enough help.
Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry criticized the officials postgame for allowing Purdue to play excessively physical defense on the perimeter. The Nittany Lions took just three foul shots in the game.
“I’m going to fight for this program to get some frickin’ respect,” he said.
Indiana leads the all-time series 42-13, winning seven of the last nine matchups.
–Field Level Media