Indiana had no solution for Maryland’s backcourt on Sunday. Despite entering the game with Derik Queen and Julian Reese averaging nearly 30 combined points per game, Maryland’s guards carried the scoring load in Bloomington. Reese contributed 14 points, surpassing his season average, but Queen managed just seven points in a quiet outing.
The Terps’ backcourt trio of Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice, and Selton Miguel picked up the slack, combining for 56 points and hitting all 12 of the team’s 3-pointers. Eight of those triples came in the second half, including Rice’s game-winning shot as he led all scorers with 23 points. Maryland’s guards consistently made big plays when needed, while Indiana’s defense struggled to respond. 
The Hoosiers, unaccustomed to tight finishes this season, failed to execute with the game on the line. Despite leading 75-70 with 3:07 left and 78-74 with just 38 seconds remaining, Indiana couldn’t close out the game.
After Gillespie cut the lead to two, Trey Galloway missed the front end of a critical 1-and-1 free throw, setting up Rice’s go-ahead 3-pointer with just over seven seconds left. Indiana also missed an opportunity to use a foul it had available during that possession.
On their final play, the Hoosiers failed to generate a quality shot from a baseline inbound with over three seconds remaining, capping off a chaotic and disorganized finish to a game they should have won.
For the fifth consecutive game, Indiana allowed more than a point per possession, recording its worst defensive performance of the season. Maryland’s 1.25 points per possession surpassed previous highs set by Louisville and Nebraska at 1.233 each.
This marked Indiana’s highest defensive concession since an 85-71 loss to Penn State last season, where the Nittany Lions scored 1.375 points per possession. Midway through the Big Ten season, Indiana ranks 12th out of 18 conference teams, allowing 1.108 points per possession. Nationally, they sit 69th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, ranking 13th in the Big Ten.
Indiana’s record has slipped to 1-4 in the critical 11-game stretch defining its season. With three of the next four games on the road, the schedule only gets tougher.
Upcoming matchups include trips to Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan State, as well as home games against Michigan, UCLA, and Purdue. KenPom currently predicts the Hoosiers will lose all six, projecting an 8-12 finish in Big Ten play—worse than last season’s 10-10 record.
In Mike Woodson’s fourth season as head coach, Indiana continues to underperform. Woodson had touted this year’s roster as his most talented yet, with the team picked to finish second in the conference and ranked in the AP top 25 early on.
However, as February approaches, Indiana isn’t even projected to make the NCAA tournament. Expectations for year four included contending for a conference title and securing a strong tournament seed.
With only 10 regular season games left and a brutal schedule ahead, Woodson faces mounting pressure as the Hoosiers fail to meet the minimum standards expected of a program with strong NIL backing.