Indiana’s first Big Ten test arrived, and it looked nothing like the crisp, confident basketball they played to open the season. The Hoosiers traveled to Minneapolis to square off with the 5-4 Minnesota Golden Gophers, a team that refused to let Indiana find any rhythm. The game was a grind from the opening tip since neither side could create much separation until late in the second half. Indiana came out physical, but that edge slowly faded as the night wore on, and the Hoosiers fell 64 to 73. It was Indiana’s first loss of the year, dropping them to 7-1.
“I thought overall it was a little disappointing,” Indiana head coach Darian DeVries said about his team’s performance. “I thought defensively we’ve been pretty good all year, we just gave up a lot of clean opportunities for them tonight. Some layups and some open threes. Then offensively we kind of let their physicality kind of bog us down a little bit and we didn’t get the type of quality shots that we’ve been getting and accustomed to getting.”
Disappointing was right. Minnesota played with urgency and toughness, and every time Indiana grabbed a lead, the Gophers clawed their way back. The Hoosiers shot 40 percent from the field, 30 percent from three and only 60 percent at the free throw line on 12 for 20. It was far from the efficient offensive product Indiana has shown throughout the non-conference slate.
The defensive struggles only magnified the issue. Indiana never controlled the glass and was outworked around the rim. The Hoosiers finished with 25 rebounds while Minnesota pulled down 40, a gap that defined the tone of the night and left Indiana chasing possessions instead of dictating them.
A win tonight would have marked Indiana’s tenth straight victory over Minnesota. Instead, the Hoosiers dropped their Big Ten opener for the first time since the 2022 to 23 season. They opened the night with energy and physicality, but that spark faded as Minnesota continued to push back.
“I thought we had a stretch in the first half where we came out of the timeout and we really got into the ball,” DeVries said. “We increased our physicality. We took a lead, 29-22. We got a steal, went down and got it blocked then they came back and scored. There were just a lot of little things that matter: winning free throw box outs and some things like that, making free throws. A lot of things that we’ve done really well for the most part this year that when you’re in conference play and you’re in games like that, those possessions are so golden. So, you got to value every little aspect of the game.”
Indiana was not just off in a few areas, they were out of sync across the board. Ball movement, typically one of their strengths, never fully clicked. For the first time this season, their opponent finished with more assists as Minnesota recorded 16 compared to Indiana’s 14. The Hoosiers did win the turnover battle with seven steals to Minnesota’s six, but they rarely converted those chances and also committed several costly fouls that halted any momentum they tried to build.
With fewer than two minutes remaining, Indiana trimmed the deficit to three, but the offense stalled again and the Gophers closed the door. It was an ugly start to Big Ten play, the kind of game that leaves a sting, but it is still early in the season. Indiana now turns its attention to No. 6 Louisville on Saturday, December 6 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Both the Hoosiers and Cardinals entered Wednesday unbeaten at 7-0 and both took their first loss of the year. Louisville fell to No. 25 Arkansas, so the door is far from closed. If Indiana can clean up the issues exposed in Minneapolis, there is still room for an early season statement.