'It's a no-brainer': Indiana basketball players defend their NCAA Tournament resume

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana basketball's one-and-done performance in the Big Ten Tournament didn't do much for its March Madness resume.

The Hoosiers (19-13) came to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday as one of around two dozen bubble teams looking to improve their positioning ahead of Selection Sunday, but they ended up losing to Oregon for the second time in nine days.

Indiana came into the day ranked No. 52 in the NET Rankings with a 4-12 record against Quad 1 opponents (three of those wins came on the road) and no losses against Quad 2-4 teams. They finished .500 in conference play after closing out the regular season with five wins in their last seven games.

Will that be enough to get them in the field of 68?

While Indiana forward Luke Goode was frustrated he didn't do more to help his team get past Oregon — his only point came from the free-throw line in the final minute in the 72-59 loss — he's not giving up hope on the season. He spoke with confidence as someone very plugged into the NCAA Tournament landscape about how IU's resume stacks up against other teams on the bubble.

He rattled off conference records for those teams when he spoke to reporters after the game, and outlined various scenarios that will help the Hoosiers' chances.

"I think our resume is more than enough," Goode said. "You look at some of these teams on the bubble, what is Texas? 6-12 in their conference. Oklahoma? 6-12 in their conference. We are .500 in a conference that has six or seven teams as top five seeds. When you think about it like that, it's a no-brainer."

He wasn't alone in that view.

"I think we're playing well when you are supposed to play well, coming down the stretch," Indiana guard Anthony Leal said. "I think from top to bottom we're one of the more talented teams in the country. I believe that when we hear our name called on Sunday we'll be in position to make a run, we've got the right pieces and things are trending in the right direction for us in terms of how we're playing. I believe we're able to compete with anybody in the country and I'm eager to get that opportunity."

The fifth-year guard out of Bloomington South made a point to say "when" IU makes the tournament each time the topic came up while Malik Reneau and Trey Galloway echoed those comments from the podium.

"We know that we should be a tournament team," Galloway said. "There's a lot of opportunity for that. I think just those crucial losses that we had that were just so tight, one-possession games. The way we've been playing the last month and a half, we've been playing like a tournament team."

Outside of time on the practice floor, Goode plans on watching as much of the action. The big difference this year for Goode is that he won't be cheering on any Cinderella teams making a run in their conference tournament and potentially steal IU's bid to the big dance.

"We need Memphis to win their conference, we need other bubble teams to lose," Goode said. "That's stuff that I pay attention to. I'm a big basketball guy, I'm always watching games. It's something you have to pay attention to now, you have to know what teams are there and really hope things shake out our way."

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana basketball defends March Madness resume after early exit from Big Ten Tourney

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'It's a no-brainer': Indiana basketball players defend their NCAA Tournament resume

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