Hoosiers fall to Dusty May’s Wolverines
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
BLOOMINGTON — A year ago, I was covering the Indiana Hoosiers a little more extensively on this site and over at TheHoosier.com. In December of 2023, I wrote an article about Dusty May and pondered whether or not the Hoosiers should pounce on May before another team beat them to it. We were asked to remove that story a few hours after it went out. Fast forward to February 8th of 2025… and we’ve got Dusty May back in Bloomington, coaching for the opposing Michigan Wolverines. And it just so happens to be the first game after Indiana announced they’ll be searching for a new Head Coach for next season. Sometimes, the stories write themselves… or the stories make a comeback.
I was very interested to see what kind of reception Mike Woodson received in this game, along with what kind of response his team would bring to the court. There was little to no reaction when Woodson walked onto the court before the tip. During lineup introductions, both Woodson and May received a solid chorus of cheers. That’s one benefit of making the announcement this early- fans can cheer for their team the rest of the way instead of feeling the need to vocalize their displeasure.
As for the game itself, it was a full 40 minutes of runs. The Wolverines jumped out to an early 16-5 lead. Indiana showed some life with an 11-0 run to tie the game. A 21-5 run for Michigan soon followed and the road team led by 15 early in the 2nd Half. The Hoosiers fought back once again and tied the game, but were never able to “get over the hump” in this game. Indiana never led, and ended up falling by a score of 70-67.
Trayce Jackson-Davis helped Indiana defeat four straight ranked opponents to finish his career at IU. Since his departure, Indiana is now 0-11 against ranked opponents. It’s one of many reasons the Hoosiers will be looking for new leadership next season.
After the game, Mike Woodson addressed the full media for the first time since the decision was made:
“It’s been emotional,” Woodson said. “We’re dealing with young kids, man. But we still got seven more games to play. And as their coach, I’ve got to help them realize they can still win basketball games.”
Woodson continued: “I wish I knew. As the coach, your roster’s changing every year, and that’s no excuse. Our guys wanna win. It just hasn’t worked out that well. My job as the coach is to continue to push them. We need to get a game under our belts so they can start feeling good again. We just haven’t been the same. I thought we were playing pretty good basketball, and then all hell broke loose. There’s still a lot of basketball left to play.”
For now, the Hoosiers sit at 14-10 on the season and 5-8 in conference play. For a team that was expected by many to compete for a Big Ten Title, it has now turned into a team that will be fighting to even make the Big Ten Tournament. At least the fans and program have some direction for what’s next. A lot can happen in a few short months.
