BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – When Indiana fired coach Archie Miller in 2021, it had lost nine straight games to in-state rival Purdue, including two games under former head coach Tom Crean.
Indiana had not held up its end of the bargain in the rivalry series, and it was rarely even competitive with seven losses by seven or more points. No matter who the next coach would be, avoiding embarrassment against Purdue was always going to be a minimum measure of success.
Though Woodson hasn’t accomplished his goals of winning Big Ten and national titles coaching his alma mater – and he’ll retire after the season, Indiana announced Feb. 7 – he’s made the Indiana-Purdue rivalry series entertaining again.
Woodson is 4-4 against Purdue. His team’s wins include iconic moments like Rob Phinisee’s game-winning 3-pointer, Jalen Hood-Schifino’s 35-point performance at Mackey Arena and Sunday’s 15-point win – Indiana’s largest victory over Purdue since 2013.
“That’s something to smile about,” Woodson said postgame. “Matt Painter is a hell of a coach, and he’s had some nice players around his program that’s helped him win a lot of games.
So this was a big win for our program.”
“It’s always special when you beat Purdue. We had battles when I played here for Coach Knight, and Purdue ended my career in college in the Sweet 16. So I’ve had a history and a lot of experience dealing with Purdue over the years. The games are always tough, regardless of how much talent each team has, who has the most talent, those two particular games are always pretty tough.”
As Woodson walked over to the courtside CBS broadcast booth, the Hoosiers – instead of heading to the locker room – followed their coach. The entire roster huddled around Woodson during his postgame interview following Indiana’s 73-58 win over No. 13 Purdue Sunday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. They hugged their coach, patted his head and celebrated the upset victory.
Bring it in. 🤗 pic.twitter.com/J1nuU5omEl
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) February 23, 2025
Though his time at Indiana did not go how he wanted, Woodson was grateful for the appreciation from his players, who are looking to finish the season strong.
“It means a lot,” Woodson said. “This is my fourth year here. Anthony [Leal] and [Trey] Gallo and Malik [Reneau], they’ve been around me the longest, and they know truly what I’m about. The new guys have had a tough, probably, time figuring me out. But we’ve still got a lot of basketball still left to try to figure each other out. You know, but it was special, I mean, any time your players rally around you, because I do love them, and I’m sure they love me, as well.”
The Hoosiers trailed by 12 points at halftime, shooting just 1 for 11 from 3-point range, and looked well on their way to their fifth straight loss at home. But Indiana buckled down defensively, holding Purdue’s leading scorers, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith, to nine and eight points, respectively
Indiana outscored Purdue 48-21 in the second half as five players scored at least seven points. Purdue struggled to contain Galloway’s pick-and-roll playmaking as he dished out a season-high nine assists and scored 15 points. They couldn’t stop the interior duo of Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo either, who combined for 27 points on 12-for-14 shooting.
In addition to the emotional desire to defeat its in-state rival, Indiana needed this win to keep its NCAA Tournament chances alive. The Hoosiers entered the game as the seventh team out of Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, but picking up their fourth Quad 1 win will help them get closer to the field.
Galloway and Leal are the only two Hoosiers who have played all four seasons for Woodson. They’re leaders in the locker room and have tried to keep the team together during a tumultuous season, which included eight losses in 10 games entering Sunday. They know they still need more wins, but they were glad to share that moment with Woodson post game in their last home game against Purdue.
“I thought it was great,” Galloway said. “I mean, we’re a family, and we’ve been a family since we all got together in June, and through highs and lows, you’ve got to find ways to continue to stick together. That’s one thing we’ve really tried to preach this last week, even with what we’ve been going through and the tough losses, we still have a chance to compete and make the tournament. So our focus is just rallying around each other and really sticking together through thick and thin.”
