Tuesday, February 26
Bloomington, Ind.
9:00 PM
Indiana University
14-14
75
vs
73
Wisconsin
19-9
1
2
OT 1
OT 2
F
Wisconsin
29
33
6
5
73
Indiana
33
29
6
7
75
Langford’s Layup Leads Hoosiers Past Wisconsin in Double Overtime
2/26/2019 11:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio, IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana found a way.
Mark it down.
On Tuesday night, with the clock approaching midnight at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, against an opponent that had owned it for nearly a generation, the Hoosiers jump-started a stagnant offense, sustained their stifling defense amid double-overtime pressure and blasted away the demons that had short-circuited a great season.
The 75-73 win over No. 19 Wisconsin stirred hope that maybe -- just maybe -- they could regain the form that once made them a top-25 team.
Freshman guard Romeo Langford's driving layup with less than a second remaining snapped the Hoosiers' five-game home losing streak, and so much more.
"We've been in a lot of close games," Langford said. "We have a young team, new faces. The games we've played prepared us for this. We learned from our mistakes. We kept on battling and came out on top."
As guard Rob Phinisee put it, "It's a confidence booster."
In the closing seconds of the second overtime, Langford beat Wisconsin's Khalil Iverson to get to the basket, a late-game attacking approach he didn't do in an overtime loss to Iowa and an overtime win against Michigan State.
"It's finally I hit one," he said with a hint of a smile. "The past two times it didn't come out as we planned. I learned from my mistakes of taking jump shots. I felt they couldn't stop me from getting to the rim. That's what I did and made the shot."
Added coach Archie Miller: "(Romeo) made an aggressive play. I told him after the Iowa game, don't settle. Attack the rim. He made a great play on the finish."
The Badgers didn't want Langford attacking with his right hand, but he did anyway.
"We made some mistakes and he made us pay," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. "We let him get at what he's good at."
It was the Hoosiers' third straight nail-biter finish against a ranked team, following losses to No. 15 Purdue and No. 21 Iowa, and their first with a win. It was also the first time they had played consecutive overtime games since 1999.
"The last three games reminded us of how it was in the beginning of the season, how hard we played," Langford said. "Wisconsin made a run on us, and we didn't panic. We stayed with it."
Because IU (14-14) did, even with senior forward Juwan Morgan and sophomore guard Al Durham fouling out, it got just its second victory in the last 14 games, just its third in the last 22 games against the Badgers.
"All that losing isn't fun," Miller said. "I told the guys we're coming down the home stretch. We're committed to the process again.
"Our guys look like they're playing with more confidence. They're using energy to give them confidence. We're doing that again."
Throughout Tuesday's 50 minutes, IU played with ferocity and purpose, as if every loose ball was a birthright.
Crisp passing, sharp cutting, battling back from late-game adversity, making the victory-clinching play, it was all there, and if it led one to wonder where it had been the last two months, well, the bigger goal was to see that it didn't disappear again, starting Saturday at home against No. 6 Michigan State.
"We've got to survive," Miller said. "Our attitude is good right now. We have more opportunities to see if we can get a couple more (wins)."
IU had solved leaky defense and lack-of-energy issues with tough-minded play against Purdue and Iowa, and if they hadn't produced victories, they had suggested upset potential against the Badgers ... if the Hoosiers' struggling offense could come to life.
Mission accomplished.
"They understand how hard you have to play this time of year," Miller said. "You can't take a step down. From Purdue to Iowa and now tonight we resemble a tough-minded group."
Wisconsin (19-9) was steeled by playing the nation's fourth-toughest schedule, and had made the most of it with seven Quadrant 1 wins. Only 11 other schools could match that achievement.
A steady offensive diet of center Ethan Happ (he finished with a game-high 23 points) pushed Wisconsin to an early three-point lead. IU countered with a pair of Durham three-pointers for a 12-12 tie.
The Badgers basically scored five points on one possession -- a basket, an IU foul, a missed free throw, an offensive rebound and a three-pointer -- to get some separation.
The Hoosiers closed it with three points each from Morgan and guard Devonte Green, then pushed ahead by four, at 23-19, on five straight Langford points.
Three-pointers from Phinisee and Durham sparked an 8-0 run as IU built a 33-29 halftime lead.
The Hoosiers had the momentum.
Could they keep it?
Darn straight.
To open the second half Morgan blocked a shot, banged in a basket, battled for a rebound and swished a pair of free throws.
Phinisee followed with a steal and a pass for a Justin Smith dunk and a 41-31 lead. The margin grew to 13 before Wisconsin roared back with a 20-3 run. A Happ basket put the Badgers ahead 51-50 with 7:39 left. A Wisconsin three-pointer made it a four-point game. Morgan picked up his fourth foul.
The Hoosiers seemed on the brink of folding.
They did not.
A minute later, Morgan took a Happ elbow to the jaw and crumpled to the floor. He was briefly taken to the locker room for evaluation.
Happ was called for a flagrant 1 foul on the play. Langford hit both free throws for a 54-54 tie with 5:09 left.
Morgan returned, picked up his fifth foul, and was gone. So were his nine points and career-high 15 rebounds. Two minutes remained. The score was tied at 60-60.
The Hoosiers needed toughness and resiliency. They needed someone to rise to the challenge.
They got enough from center DeRon Davis (who battled an illness that kept him from starting) and Phinisee to force a 62-62 tie and overtime for the second straight game.
A Phinisee free throw and a Langford layup put IU ahead 68-65 with 20 seconds left. A D'Mitrik Trice three-pointer tied it seven seconds later to force a second overtime.
Wisconsin missed four straight free throws, then missed a long three-pointer. Langford scored. The Badgers missed another free throw, then made one. IU led 70-69.
Langford made a free throw, missed one, missed a layup. Wisconsin made a free throw. IU forward Race Thompson grabbed a rebound (his seventh in 21 off-the-bench minutes) to start an IU break that led to a Davis layup and a 73-70 lead.
Green fouled Trice on a three-point attempt with 9.6 seconds left. He made all three for another tie.
Langford untied it with that driving layup.
IU had survived, and wanted more.
"We don't want to go out on a bad note," Phinisee said. "We've stayed together and kept fighting."
Added Miller: "For 30 minutes we played as well as we have in the Big Ten. I told our guys that good teams make runs. Wisconsin did. Being able to respond to that, it was great to see we didn't lay an egg.
"They didn't pout. They didn't worry about making mistakes."
In the end what the Hoosiers did was win.
That made all the difference.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana found a way.
Mark it down.
On Tuesday night, with the clock approaching midnight at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, against an opponent that had owned it for nearly a generation, the Hoosiers jump-started a stagnant offense, sustained their stifling defense amid double-overtime pressure and blasted away the demons that had short-circuited a great season.
The 75-73 win over No. 19 Wisconsin stirred hope that maybe -- just maybe -- they could regain the form that once made them a top-25 team.
Freshman guard Romeo Langford's driving layup with less than a second remaining snapped the Hoosiers' five-game home losing streak, and so much more.
"We've been in a lot of close games," Langford said. "We have a young team, new faces. The games we've played prepared us for this. We learned from our mistakes. We kept on battling and came out on top."
As guard Rob Phinisee put it, "It's a confidence booster."
In the closing seconds of the second overtime, Langford beat Wisconsin's Khalil Iverson to get to the basket, a late-game attacking approach he didn't do in an overtime loss to Iowa and an overtime win against Michigan State.
"It's finally I hit one," he said with a hint of a smile. "The past two times it didn't come out as we planned. I learned from my mistakes of taking jump shots. I felt they couldn't stop me from getting to the rim. That's what I did and made the shot."
Added coach Archie Miller: "(Romeo) made an aggressive play. I told him after the Iowa game, don't settle. Attack the rim. He made a great play on the finish."
The Badgers didn't want Langford attacking with his right hand, but he did anyway.
"We made some mistakes and he made us pay," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. "We let him get at what he's good at."
It was the Hoosiers' third straight nail-biter finish against a ranked team, following losses to No. 15 Purdue and No. 21 Iowa, and their first with a win. It was also the first time they had played consecutive overtime games since 1999.
"The last three games reminded us of how it was in the beginning of the season, how hard we played," Langford said. "Wisconsin made a run on us, and we didn't panic. We stayed with it."
Because IU (14-14) did, even with senior forward Juwan Morgan and sophomore guard Al Durham fouling out, it got just its second victory in the last 14 games, just its third in the last 22 games against the Badgers.
"All that losing isn't fun," Miller said. "I told the guys we're coming down the home stretch. We're committed to the process again.
"Our guys look like they're playing with more confidence. They're using energy to give them confidence. We're doing that again."
Throughout Tuesday's 50 minutes, IU played with ferocity and purpose, as if every loose ball was a birthright.
Crisp passing, sharp cutting, battling back from late-game adversity, making the victory-clinching play, it was all there, and if it led one to wonder where it had been the last two months, well, the bigger goal was to see that it didn't disappear again, starting Saturday at home against No. 6 Michigan State.
"We've got to survive," Miller said. "Our attitude is good right now. We have more opportunities to see if we can get a couple more (wins)."
IU had solved leaky defense and lack-of-energy issues with tough-minded play against Purdue and Iowa, and if they hadn't produced victories, they had suggested upset potential against the Badgers ... if the Hoosiers' struggling offense could come to life.
Mission accomplished.
"They understand how hard you have to play this time of year," Miller said. "You can't take a step down. From Purdue to Iowa and now tonight we resemble a tough-minded group."
Wisconsin (19-9) was steeled by playing the nation's fourth-toughest schedule, and had made the most of it with seven Quadrant 1 wins. Only 11 other schools could match that achievement.
A steady offensive diet of center Ethan Happ (he finished with a game-high 23 points) pushed Wisconsin to an early three-point lead. IU countered with a pair of Durham three-pointers for a 12-12 tie.
The Badgers basically scored five points on one possession -- a basket, an IU foul, a missed free throw, an offensive rebound and a three-pointer -- to get some separation.
The Hoosiers closed it with three points each from Morgan and guard Devonte Green, then pushed ahead by four, at 23-19, on five straight Langford points.
Three-pointers from Phinisee and Durham sparked an 8-0 run as IU built a 33-29 halftime lead.
The Hoosiers had the momentum.
Could they keep it?
Darn straight.
To open the second half Morgan blocked a shot, banged in a basket, battled for a rebound and swished a pair of free throws.
Phinisee followed with a steal and a pass for a Justin Smith dunk and a 41-31 lead. The margin grew to 13 before Wisconsin roared back with a 20-3 run. A Happ basket put the Badgers ahead 51-50 with 7:39 left. A Wisconsin three-pointer made it a four-point game. Morgan picked up his fourth foul.
The Hoosiers seemed on the brink of folding.
They did not.
A minute later, Morgan took a Happ elbow to the jaw and crumpled to the floor. He was briefly taken to the locker room for evaluation.
Happ was called for a flagrant 1 foul on the play. Langford hit both free throws for a 54-54 tie with 5:09 left.
Morgan returned, picked up his fifth foul, and was gone. So were his nine points and career-high 15 rebounds. Two minutes remained. The score was tied at 60-60.
The Hoosiers needed toughness and resiliency. They needed someone to rise to the challenge.
They got enough from center DeRon Davis (who battled an illness that kept him from starting) and Phinisee to force a 62-62 tie and overtime for the second straight game.
A Phinisee free throw and a Langford layup put IU ahead 68-65 with 20 seconds left. A D'Mitrik Trice three-pointer tied it seven seconds later to force a second overtime.
Wisconsin missed four straight free throws, then missed a long three-pointer. Langford scored. The Badgers missed another free throw, then made one. IU led 70-69.
Langford made a free throw, missed one, missed a layup. Wisconsin made a free throw. IU forward Race Thompson grabbed a rebound (his seventh in 21 off-the-bench minutes) to start an IU break that led to a Davis layup and a 73-70 lead.
Green fouled Trice on a three-point attempt with 9.6 seconds left. He made all three for another tie.
Langford untied it with that driving layup.
IU had survived, and wanted more.
"We don't want to go out on a bad note," Phinisee said. "We've stayed together and kept fighting."
Added Miller: "For 30 minutes we played as well as we have in the Big Ten. I told our guys that good teams make runs. Wisconsin did. Being able to respond to that, it was great to see we didn't lay an egg.
"They didn't pout. They didn't worry about making mistakes."
In the end what the Hoosiers did was win.
That made all the difference.
Team Stats
WISC
IU
FG%
.391
.406
3FG%
.273
.300
FT%
.520
.630
RB
40
46
TO
8
13
STL
2
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
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