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Indiana fans call on coach Mike Woodson after historic loss to number 19 Illinois: ‘We were ashamed’

The Hoosiers have now lost back-to-back games by 25 points in one of the worst stretches of Mike Woodson’s tenure at Indiana. (AP/AJ mast)

Things aren’t going well for Mike Woodson in Bloomington.

Woodson and Indiana found themselves on the wrong end of a 94-69 loss to No. 19 Illinois on Tuesday night. It marked their second consecutive 25-point loss and was their second-worst loss in program history. Only a 32-point loss to Wisconsin in 2010 was worse.

The Hoosiers just looked at the field Tuesday night. They missed four of their first 16 shots and quickly fell into a 30-point hole in the first half before the Illini took a 28-point lead into the locker room at halftime. It was the largest halftime deficit Indiana has had in the past 25 seasons.

It got so bad that, at one point early in the game, the Assembly Hall crowd turned completely against Woodson.

“I understand. We were embarrassed,” forward Luke Goode said, via Zach Browning of Rivals.com. “We need to wear this jersey with more pride as Indiana players. This program is too historic and too grand to be presented in this way.”

Late in the game, the frustrations clearly boiled over into a brief incident under the basket. Goode, who used to play for Illinois, came into contact with Tomislav Ivisic after a foul. Oumar Ballo pushed Ivisic and was sent off.

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Ballo finished with a team-high 16 points and 15 rebounds for Indiana. Goode added 13 points. As a team, Indiana shot just 4 of 18 from the three-point line, and they were outrebounded by 14.

Kylan Boswell led Illinois with 22 points and seven rebounds, and Kasparas Jakucionis added 21 points. The Illini’s 94 points are the most an opponent has scored in a regular-season game in Assembly Hall history.

While there’s still plenty of time to turn the tide (it’s only mid-January, after all), Woodson’s job is very much in question after this latest loss.

Woodson, who played at Indiana under legendary coach Bob Knight before his NBA career, was hired to replace Archie Miller in 2021. He has an overall record of 76-45 and reached the NCAA tournament in his first two seasons, but they missed it last season. after going just 19-14. There was speculation that Indiana would cut him last season, but the decision was made to bring him back for another opportunity.

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While the program is still 13-5, they are just 1-5 in Quad 1 matches this season and haven’t really beaten anyone yet. Iowa beat them by 25 points on Saturday, and they all fell by double digits to Nebraska, Gonzaga and Louisville. On Indiana’s defense, leading scorer Malik Reneau played just one game this month while dealing with a knee injury. It is unclear when he will return.

“It’s hard,” Woodson said. “You know, I mean, when you prepare and work, because we work in practice, we do all the things you’re supposed to do when you go into the game. Guys just didn’t step up and take a step tonight.” in the Iowa game.”

Indiana will travel to both Ohio State and Northwestern in the coming week, both of which are great opportunities for wins to try to turn things around. However, if that doesn’t go well, it feels like Indiana could fall apart quickly. The Hoosiers have a window where they will face four straight opponents, starting with No. 17 Purdue on Jan. 31.

“We can’t let this have a snowball effect,” Woodson said. “Like I said, we still have a long way to go in this Big Ten. Do I think we are good enough to win? Yes, I do. I have to keep us believing that and keep pushing these guys in the right direction.”

If Woodson can’t keep Indiana in the mix for an NCAA tournament bid, his time in Bloomington could be limited.

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