Indiana Leaves Big Ten Tournament Upset, Hungry For NCAA Tournament

Indiana fell short of its goal to win the Big Ten Tournament after a 77-73 loss to Penn State in the semifinals, but the Hoosiers are hungry for NCAA Tournament play, knowing they're safely in and have time to rest and prepare.

CHICAGO – The Hoosiers walked off the United Center court with disappointment in their eyes, knowing their chance at hanging a Big Ten title banner slipped away for a second consecutive year in the semifinals. For Trayce Jackson-Davis, Miller Kopp and Race Thompson, it was their last shot.

Indiana trailed for most of Saturday's game, as Penn State's small-ball offense led by Jalen Pickett and a bevy of shooters stayed a step ahead of the Hoosiers' defense all night. Indiana made a miraculous from down 15 points at the 2:05 mark to trailing by a single point with 33 second on the clock, but the Hoosiers fell short in the 77-73 loss. 

Indiana coach Mike Woodson took the heat for this loss, saying he was proud his team didn't quit but he has to put them in a better position to win. For Jackson-Davis, his last Big Ten game ended in defeat, but he knows Indiana still has more to play for.

"Obviously you're upset," Jackson-Davis said. "But at the same time, we still got the NCAA Tournament. We're not sweating like we were prior years. We know that we're in. We're going to go back, fix what we did wrong in this game, and then focus on whoever we got to play after Selection Sunday."

Following the loss, Miller Kopp shared the sentiment of the Indiana locker room.

"I think just hungry," Kopp said. "The one positive thing about this is our season's not over. That's what we said, and we'll learn from it and take the lessons into the tournament."

Despite losing at the same stage of the Big Ten Tournament, year two of the Mike Woodson era is in a far different state from year one heading into to the NCAA Tournament. 

Last season, the Hoosiers were desperate for each and every win, knocking off Michigan and Illinois to sneak into the First Four round in Dayton, Ohio. Indiana exhausted all resources to make this conference tournament run and defeat Wyoming, winning four games in six days to enter the field of 64. What was left stood a worn down team that got picked apart by Saint Mary's in a 82-53 loss.

Only time will tell, but there's reason to believe the Hoosiers are in better shape entering the Big Dance this time around. Because Indiana earned No. 3 seed and a double-bye, it played one fewer Big Ten Tournament game and won't play on Tuesday night in the First Four round.

Indiana doesn't have the stress and anxiety that comes with wondering if it accomplished enough to go dancing. With a 22-11 overall record following Saturday's loss, Indiana is in good shape to be a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. According to Bracket Matrix, Indiana has an average projected seed of 4.03, meaning the Hoosiers are considered much closer to a No. 3 seed than a No. 5. Plus, a loss to Penn State, who will also play in the NCAA Tournament, isn't a résumé-dooming result.

So while Indiana flies back to Bloomington disappointed it didn't reach one of its season-long goals, they'll have at least four days to rest, recover and learn from mistakes ahead of tournament play. 

Indiana closed the season 5-3 record in February and a 2-1 record in March. Consistency has been an issue for Hoosiers not named Jackson-Davis, but they'll have to put it all together moving forward.

Because from this point on, there's no option to learn from a loss in the NCAA Tournament.

"Obviously we're not too happy that we came up short of our goal to win the Big Ten Tournament," Tamar Bates said. "But we know the season's not over so we're still looking at the bigger picture. We still got goals on our list that we can check off, which is going to March Madness and winning the title. So guys aren't hanging their head too much because we still got a lot of ball left to play. "

"We just believe in each other. We believe in our coach. We believe in the staff. I'm going to continue to say the same thing. Everybody in the locker room, we believe in each other even though we just took a tough one tonight, we know that we'll be prepared. We'll go back and practice and we'll get our stuff right and just be ready to compete."

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• GAME STORY: Indiana came up short in the Big Ten Tournament, falling to Penn State 77-73 in the semifinals. Now the Hoosiers, still a flawed team at 22-11, await their NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday, with one last shot at making this a memorable season. CLICK HERE
• PHOTO GALLERY: Indiana lost to Penn State on Saturday in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, falling 77-73. Here are the best photos from the game. CLICK HERE