That's a First! Indiana's Streak of 3 Straight Upset Wins Hasn't Happened In 20 Years
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana got another victory on the road Wednesday night, beating Minnesota 70-58 in Minneapolis. It was their third straight win in eight days, all as a fairly substantial underdog.
Want to hear something amazing? That's the first time since 2004 that Indiana has done that, according to my gambling research friends at goldsheet.com in Las Vegas. That's 20 long years — and several basketball coaches — ago.
You'd think that would be a pretty rare feat in the Big Ten, but it's actually already happened three other times this season — and it's happened 20 times since 2012. That's why it's so hard to predict what goes on in this league, which is very balanced after top dogs Purdue and Illinois.
And that's why it was really hard to presume that an Indiana team that's struggled for much of the year would suddenly get hot in the final two weeks of the season.
Indiana beat Wisconsin 74-70 at home on Feb. 27 despite being a 4.5-point underdog. Then they won at Maryland on Sunday, beating the Terrapins, who were favored by 8.5 points, 83-78 before making it a hat trick on Wednesday night.
That's a very impressive run, especially for a team that had lost 10 of its previous 14 games. But it's also — in a bit of a stunner — not that unusual this season.
It's actually happened three other teams in the past five weeks in Big Ten play. Here's a quick look at who else has pulled it off:
- RUTGERS: The Scarlet Knights did it in early February, winning at Michigan and Maryland as underdogs before beating No. 11 and favored Wisconsin at home on Feb. 10.
- PENN STATE: The Nittany Lions did it, too, winning on the road at Rutgers and Indiana as underdogs, and then beating Iowa at home on Feb. 8 despite the Hawkeyes being 2.5-point favorites.
- MINNESOTA: Minnesota, who is No. 1 in the nation in covering the spread this season, has done it, too. They won at Penn State on Jan. 27 and then beat Northwestern and Michigan State at home as an underdog.
This is where we get back to the Big Ten being so unpredictable. Minnesota, who was last in the league two years in a row, has nine league wins this season, so their streak of upsets isn't head-scratching.
Penn State is better than expected, too, and they've had a few nice stretches. Their's might be the most impressive stretch of all, because they won in Bloomington and then beat a good Iowa team at home that had been playing pretty well.
Rutgers has had issues all year long, but in early February they seemed to be hitting their stride. Their defense was great during that stretch of wins, allowing just 56 points per game, and they even added a fourth straight win as a favorite, knocking off undermanned Northwestern at home. They've since hit the skids, though, losing four of five.
For Indiana fans, winning three games in a row that you weren't supposed to is something of a stunner. But it shouldn't be. Despite their overall struggles this season, they've actually now won seven games that they weren't supposed to. They've beaten Michigan, Ohio State twice, Iowa Wisconsin, Maryland and Minnesota in games they weren't supposed to win, according to the gambling experts.
Here's a few interesting nuggets about Indiana winning as an underdog in the Big Ten. This is the first time Mike Woodson has won three in a row as underdogs. In Archie Miller's final three years at Indiana from 2018 to 2021, he never won three league games in a row, period.
The last time Indiana won three in a row as underdogs was way back in the 2003-04 season under Mike Davis, when they won 69-61 at Ohio State on Jan. 20, 2004 as a 3.5-point underdog and at Minnesota 86-81 in overtime four days later as a 2-point dog.
Then, on Jan. 27, they upset No. 21 Purdue 63-58 in Bloomington as a 1-point underdog, with A.J. Moye leading the way with 15 points.
A little added bonus nugget about that 2004 run? Those upsets were part of a five-game winning streak that started with an upset win at Michigan, too. The Hoosiers then beat Northwestern as a big favorite, before pulling off those Ohio State, Minnesota and Purdue surprises.
That streak was the last bit of fun during that 2004 season. Davis' crew went 3-9 down the stretch and finished 14-15 overall and 7-9 in the league. It was Davis' only losing season at Indiana during his six-year run.
So what does all that mean for Sunday, when Indiana — a likely big underdog again —takes on Michigan State at Assembly Hall in the regular season finale? Well, according to Gold Sheet, those last 20 teams that won three straight as underdogs went 15-5 against the spread in that next game.
That's a good omen for the Hoosiers.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- JACK ANKONY COLUMN: Mike Woodson had the Indiana men’s basketball program on an upward trajectory when Liam McNeeley committed in October. But after missing on other 2024 recruits and enduring a disappointing season, the program has lost momentum and McNeeley has better options. CLICK HERE
- McNEELEY DECOMMITS: Liam McNeeley, Indiana's lone commitment in the class of 2024 and a five-star prospect, has reopened his recruitment, according to multiple reports. CLICK HERE
- MEET THE OPPONENT, MICHIGAN STATE: Coach Tom Izzo and Michigan State travel to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday for the their season's first matchup against Indiana. The Spartans are 10-9 in conference play and Indiana is 9-10, so Sunday's winner gets an advantage in Big Ten Tournament seeding. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA BEATS MICHIGAN: Coach Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers won their third straight game Wednesday night at Minnesota, 70-58. Kel'el Ware led Indiana with 26 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and three assists, while Minnesota shot 38.6% from the field and committed 18 turnovers. CLICK HERE
- WHAT WOODSON SAID: Here's the full transcript of Mike Woodson's press conference following Indiana's 70-58 win at Minnesota Wednesday night. CLICK HERE
