Indiana men’s basketball upsets No. 13 Ohio State 67-51, pushes Assembly Hall record to 10-0

Indiana men’s basketball returned to Assembly Hall on Thursday after a loss on Penn State Street. The team responded to the challenge of No. 13 Ohio State with a 67-51 victory. The excitement moved Indiana to 11-3 this season and extended his unbeaten run at Bloomington under coach Mike Woodson to 10 games.

“We knew coming out of that Penn State game that we needed a bad one,” Jackson-Davis said. “We had a real seat as a team and figured out a few things. The Big Ten is a battle. We fought on the road, but coach Woodson made it a focus to win on our home turf.

Indiana came in the matchup ranked first in the Big Ten and third in the nation in defensive field goal percentage, while Ohio State was third in the Big Ten with a 39.7% mark from long range. Against Penn State, Indiana gave up 11 3-pointers on 50% shooting from deep, but Jackson-Davis said in a post-interview Indiana wants to keep Ohio State from finding a similar hit. Ohio State shot just 31% from the ground and converted 8-27 attempts from deep.

The battle of Star Forwards between Jackson-Davis and Ohio State Junior striker E.J. The Liddell, who came into the game with an average of over 19 points and seven rebounds in the season, was won by the former on both sides of the floor. Jackson-Davis’ concealed defense led to five blocks in the night to frustrate Liddell in the paint, holding him to 11 points on 2-7 shots in the arc.

Jackson-Davis was aggressive at the offensive end of the opening game, scoring a foul in the first five seconds and routinely penalizing Ohio State for his lack of double coverage against him low. The All-American led every goal with 27 points on 11-17 shooting, including five dunks to give Indiana a 38-10 advantage and points in the draw.

“We’ve been pushing the pace,” Jackson-Davis said. “I sprinted very hard forward and just got looked at by that. That wear on her big. They still threw guys at me, but I thought I was just surprising them.

After losing to Penn State, Woodson criticized Jackson-Davis for grabbing just five rebounds despite his 20-point performance. He responded by fitting it all in at halftime and posting his 27th career double-double with 12 total rebounds.

Sophomore guard Trey Galloway made his return to action for Indiana after missing the team’s previous 10 games due to a left wrist injury. Galloway helped Indiana’s 26-15 run to end the first half 33-30 with some hard play, which improved Indiana’s off-ball movement on offense.

Galloway finished with the third-most points of any Indiana player with 8. He also had two steals, three assists and four rebounds in 19 minutes.

“Taking time and trying to stay ready, that’s really what helped me,” Galloway said. “Our strength trainer really pushed me to stay in shape and keep my body fit.”

Graduate student Joey Brunk is returning to Assembly Hall for the first time since Indiana’s transfer to Ohio State last summer. Brunk, who spent two seasons with Indiana but put up a back injury for the very second, posted 6 points and two rebounds in six minutes against his former team.

Despite a 17% shot in the second half, the Hoosiers led the Buckeyes by 4 points with under seven minutes remaining. Indiana’s efficiency from the free-throw line, a 15-18 mark, provided enough points for Ohio State to regain the lead.

Senior Forward Race Thompson helped the Hoosiers make their hopes of excitement a reality with 7 of his 11 total points coming in Indiana’s 15-3 run to finish the game.

“This is possibly the best game we’ve played all season and in terms of how we defended and how the ball moved offensively,” Woodson said. “People are who they are. Hoosier Nation has always been great.”

Indiana, now 2-2 in the conference game, will have another game against Minnesota at home Sunday afternoon. Minnesota is 10-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten game.