Live Blog: Follow Indiana's Game Against Minnesota
Indiana plays its final road game of the regular season Wednesday at Minnesota at 9 p.m. ET.
The Hoosiers have won two in a row, 74-70 over Wisconsin and 83-78 at Maryland on Sunday, and defeated Minnesota 74-62 back on Jan. 12. Meanwhile, the Golden Gophers have defeated Penn State 75-70 on Saturday but lost their previous games.
Welcome to our live blog for Wednesday's matchup, where we'll share updates, highlights and thoughts on a game that has major Big Ten Tournament implications. Indiana is 8-10 in Big Ten play and Minnesota is 9-9, and just three wins separate fifth and 13th place in the conference standings.
11:02 p.m. – Ware hits a corner three, increasing his total to 26 points tonight, along with 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Woodson empties the bench now, playing CJ Gunn and Kaleb Banks for the first time all night. Banks hadn't played since Jan. 19 at Wisconsin.
10:51 p.m. – Mitchell knocks down a corner three, but Minnesota is just 3-for-22 from 3-point range tonight. IU still leads by 16 points with about six minutes left.
10:43 p.m. – Ware drills a three from the top of the key to extend IU's lead to 55-38, through Mgbako picks up his fourth foul on the following possession with 8:06 remaining.
10:35 p.m. – Mgbako hits Indiana's first 3-pointer of the game with 12:27 left. Usually that'd be a bad thing, but Indiana has been able to score at will inside, so it hasn't needed to take many threes – just five so far. Mgbako hits another one shortly after, and all of a sudden IU leads 47-32.
10:33 p.m. – Ware got a head start on a fast break after a missed Garcia three, and he's rewarded with an easy layup, assisted by Johnson. Minnesota calls timeout with Iu leading 41-30 with 13:18 left.
10:30 p.m. – And now Mgbako has three fouls, joining Ware and Reneau with three. With 15:08 remaining, that could become a big problem for the Hoosiers. Ware and Mgbako remain in the game.
10:29 p.m. – Fox called for goaltending on a Ware layup, extending Indiana's lead to 37-29. Minnesota has scored just six points since the 7:27 mark of the first half.
10:25 p.m. – Reneau picks up his third foul at the 15:50 mark. With Ware also having three fouls and Walker's injury, Indiana could need increased minutes from Payton Sparks, or go with a smaller lineup and play Mgbako at power forward.
10:20 p.m. – Anthony Walker scores immediately after checking in, but he went down in pain after landing. It looks like he's in a lot of pain while he talks with Indiana staff. Indiana's front court depth will be tested, as Ware has three fouls and Reneau has two.
10:19 p.m. – Ware picks up his third foul with 16:51 left. He's replaced by Anthony Walker and will likely sit for a solid stretch of the second half. Expect Indiana to feed Reneau inside.
10:17 p.m. – Mitchell whistled for his second foul with 17:50 left in the game after a strong take from Galloway, who went 1-for-2 at the line. IU leads 33-27.
9:57 p.m. – Halftime: Indiana 30, Minnesota 25. Johnson misses a layup on the final possession. He was a bit out of control and threw up a reverse layup that didn't have much of a chance. Overall, a good half for Indiana on the road, shooting 47% and holding Minnesota to 36%.
9:54 p.m. – Woodson calls timeout with 1:10 left, leading 30-25 after a Galloway floater. Indiana's defense has been really sturdy over the last six minutes or so, allowing just two points since the 7:30 mark.
9:50 p.m. – Indiana has attempted just one 3-pointer tonight and missed. The Hoosiers will probably need to hit some threes to win this game, but right now they're scoring inside whenever they want.
9:46 p.m. – IU on an 10-0 run now with back-to-back layups from Mgbako and Ware, the second being an and-one from Indiana's 7-footer. Looks like Anthony Walker got hit in the face and lost one of his contacts, causing a stoppage in play. IU leads 28-23 with 4:31 left.
9:44 p.m. – Mgbako puts the Hoosiers ahead, 24-23. Nice set by Woodson and the Hoosiers, freeing Mgbako with a pin-down screen, allowing him to curl to the ball and drive to the basket.
9:36 p.m. – And now Ware picks up his second foul about 11 minutes into the game, but he stays in. Reneau is still on the bench with two fouls, so it'll be interesting to see how Woodson handles that the rest of the half. IU trails 23-18.
9:33 p.m. – Several turnovers from both teams ultimately lead to a Payne layup in transition. Johnson tried to pass it behind his back, but Minnesota stole it. A strong take from Parker Fox gives Minnesota a 19-16 lead with 9:48 left in the half.
9:28 p.m. – Indiana trails Minnesota 15-12 at the under-12 timeout. After a quick start, Indiana has gone 3:09 without scoring. Mgbako make a strong move to the basket on the last possession, but his layup rimmed out.
9:25 p.m. – Reneau picks up his second foul at the 13:19 mark of the first half. He picked up both fouls on back-to-back possessions, so IU will be without its leading scorer for a while now.
9:20 p.m. – Mitchell knocks down a three now, and IU's lead is down to 10-9. Mitchell and Christie are two of the Big Ten's best 3-point shooters, and they're off to a good start.
9:17 p.m. – It's now an early 8-0 lead for Indiana after a Ware steal, which leads to a Ware dunk in transition the other way. Mgbako fouled Christie on a 3-point attempt on the following possession, which quickly cuts the lead in half. IU leads 8-4 with 17:15 left.
9:16 p.m. – Early timeout for Minnesota's third-year coach Ben Johnson less than two minutes into the game, a result of easy buckets inside for Ware, Reneau and Galloway.
9:14 p.m. – Ware and Reneau get the Hoosiers going with two easy looks inside. Both scored in double figures in the first matchup, like most games this season.
9:08 p.m. – Indiana starters tonight are Gabe Cupps, Trey Galloway, Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau and Kel'el Ware. It might be a bit surprising to see Cupps in the starting lineup after Xavier Johnson played so well at Maryland, but obviously Johnson could still wind up playing more minutes and finish the game, if Woodson chooses. Indiana's second unit hasn't been great this year, so it could be good to bring Johnson off the bench. For Minnesota, it's Elijah Hawkins, Mike Mitchell Jr., Cam Christie, Pharrel Payne and Dawson Garcia.
8:30 p.m. – Minnesota is favored by 5.5 points, and the over/under is 149.5 points, according to the SI Sportsbook.
8:00 p.m. – After being listed questionable on the pregame availability report, Indiana's Xavier Johnson, Trey Galloway and Malik Reneau are all in uniform for pregame warmups. Minnesota is at full strength.
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