6-Banner Sunday: IU falls at Rutgers, but rebounds with Minnesota win
Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, and presented by our friends at Trueblood Real Estate, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.
IU’s time on the court started poorly but ended better for the second straight week. Once again, the Hoosiers were Jekyll and Hyde, depending on if they played at home or on the road. The opponent’s gym was treacherous as Indiana fell to Rutgers. However, Assembly Hall was much friendlier as the Cream and Crimson beat up on Minnesota.
In other news, women’s basketball played a trio of times this week, new Bracketology updates were released and several episodes from these sites’ shows were released. We will, as usual, conclude with a look at other Indiana sports, led by some updates to the football roster and staff.
Here is what’s in this week’s edition:
• Hoosiers lead wire-to-wire in win against Minnesota
• IU manages just 57 points in a loss at Rutgers
• Women defeat Michigan and Penn State but fall at Iowa
• Bracketology
• Podcast on the Brink and Back Home Network shows
• Hoosier Roundup
IU men’s basketball will play five games this season on Peacock and the women will play seven, making the streaming service essential for IU basketball fans. Sign up for Peacock using Inside the Hall’s link to help support the site and also enjoy Big Ten hoops all season long! (The link is an Inside the Hall affiliate link, so a commission will be paid to ITH if you click and subscribe to Peacock. Alex and the ITH team appreciate your support!)
Banner #1 – Hoosiers lead wire-to-wire in win against Minnesota
For only the third time this season (Maryland and North Alabama were the others), Indiana left no doubt who would emerge victorious. They jumped on the Golden Gophers early and never let up in a 74-62 win.
Mackenzie Mgbako had his best performance in an IU uniform with a team-leading 19 points. He showed versatility in his game, shooting jumpers and exploding to the basket for layups. Kel’el Ware also had another strong outing with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Malik Reneau added 16. Also, of note: Xavier Johnson was in a reserve role, with Gabe Cupps getting the start following Johnson’s ejection Wednesday at Rutgers.
Afterward, IU coach Mike Woodson spoke, Ryan Corazza wrote a Minute After, Alex Bozich penned Five Takeaways, and William McDermott and Amanda Foster put together columns about Mgbako and CJ Gunn respectively. Also, Assembly Call had their postgame email and polls as well as a Film Room.
With the result Friday, the team is 12-5 overall. They also sit at 4-2 in the league with 14 regular season contests left.
Banner #2 – IU manages just 57 points in a loss at Rutgers
Piscataway, New Jersey remains a house of horrors for the Hoosiers. Every time they have gone there since 2019 has resulted in a loss as Steve Pikiell continues to make the historically struggling Rutgers program a force. The Scarlet Knights are down compared to previous seasons but still possess their identity of solid defense and physical play. This overwhelmed the Hoosiers as they fell 66-57 on what was an awful shooting night both from the field (39.7 percent) and the charity stripe (26.7 percent).
Also, Johnson was ejected midway through the second half for a foul below the belt. The disqualification occurred following an official review, and Indiana’s play fell apart afterward, even though Johnson had struggled most of the night.
Afterward, Woodson spoke, Corazza wrote a Minute After and Film Session, Bozich penned Five Takeaways, and McDermott put together a column about the squad’s lack of composure. Also, Assembly Call had their postgame email and polls.
The team returns to action on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET against arch-rival Purdue at home in what will be a chance for their first signature win of the season. This will be one of several contests streamed exclusively on Peacock. It can be canceled at any time and bought for $5.99 a month with the affiliate link through Inside the Hall (see advertisement above).
Banner #3 – Women defeat Michigan and Penn State but fall at Iowa
The women took to the court three times this week. It started last Sunday with their most impressive effort of the season when they dominated a solid Nebraska squad on the road 91-69.
It was a struggle against a drastically better Penn State squad on Wednesday. However, after trailing by nine points in the third quarter, Sydney Parrish continued her strong play and led a comeback for an eventual 75-67 victory.
On Saturday, the Hoosiers struggled in the spotlight against Iowa as they fell 84-57 in dominant fashion. It was the second time this season that Indiana was overwhelmed in front of a national television audience on the road versus a top-five opponent. They now sit at 14-2 overall and 5-1 in the league.
The squad returns to action just once this week on Wednesday when they face another much-improved squad at home. This time, it is Minnesota at 8 p.m. ET in Assembly Hall on Peacock.
Thanks for your continued support for The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We’ll be back next weekend with a new roundup.
Banner #4 – Bracketology
New bracketology was released for both the men’s and women’s teams. The women’s side continues to sit in a great position to begin March Madness at home for the third straight season with a NET inside the top 20. ESPN’s Charlie Creme has them as a four-seed hosting 13-seed Charlotte. The other game in Assembly Hall would see five-seed Florida State and 12-seed Stony Brook. The two winners would face off in Bloomington once again for a shot at the Sweet 16.
As for the men, their path is considerably less rosy as they sit well outside the field per ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. With a NET just above 100, they have a lot of work to do if they do not want to rely on winning the league tournament to participate in March Madness. Lunardi does have seven Big Ten teams in the field led by top-seeded Purdue who Indiana faces on Tuesday.
Banner #5 – Podcast on the Brink and Back Home Network shows
Inside the Hall and the Back Home Network had several new shows this week. ITH’s Podcast on the Brink had Tyler Tachman on to discuss the up-and-down season.
Meanwhile, the Back Home Network was on air nearly every day this week. Assembly Call had postgame shows after Rutgers and Minnesota. On Thursday, AC Radio had a celebratory episode for their 1000th time on-air.
Also, Doing The Work was on following the Nebraska, Penn State, and Iowa games. Finally, Crimson Cast was live again during the contest with the Scarlet Knights.
Banner #6 – Hoosier Roundup
• Football added a few new transfers and several support staff.
• One of volleyball’s top recruits was named Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year.
• Men’s soccer’s Kevin Robson was honored as one of the top assistant coaches in the country.
• Baseball had several of its players named among the best in the best country by Perfect Game heading into a highly anticipated season.
• Water polo is ranked 15th nationally heading into the season.
• Swimming and diving released overall results from the fall.
• Wrestling fell to Rutgers in their Big Ten opener.
• Men’s Tennis beat Dayton and Toledo.
• Track and Field competed at the Commodore Challenge.
Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.
Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor
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(Photo credit: IU Athletics)
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