Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, and presented by our friends at Trueblood Real Estate, where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.
IU’s time on the court started poorly but ended better for the second straight week. Once again, the Hoosiers were Jekyll and Hyde, depending on if they played at home or on the road. The opponent’s gym was treacherous as Indiana fell to Rutgers. However, Assembly Hall was much friendlier as the Cream and Crimson beat up on Minnesota.
In other news, women’s basketball played a trio of times this week, new Bracketology updates were released and several episodes from these sites’ shows were released. We will, as usual, conclude with a look at other Indiana sports, led by some updates to the football roster and staff.
Here is what’s in this week’s edition:
• Hoosiers lead wire-to-wire in win against Minnesota
• IU manages just 57 points in a loss at Rutgers
• Women defeat Michigan and Penn State but fall at Iowa
• Bracketology
• Podcast on the Brink and Back Home Network shows
• Hoosier Roundup
IU men’s basketball will play five games this season on Peacock and the women will play seven, making the streaming service essential for IU basketball fans. Sign up for Peacock using Inside the Hall’s link to help support the site and also enjoy Big Ten hoops all season long! (The link is an Inside the Hall affiliate link, so a commission will be paid to ITH if you click and subscribe to Peacock. Alex and the ITH team appreciate your support!)
Banner #1 – Hoosiers lead wire-to-wire in win against Minnesota
For only the third time this season (Maryland and North Alabama were the others), Indiana left no doubt who would emerge victorious. They jumped on the Golden Gophers early and never let up in a 74-62 win.
Mackenzie Mgbako had his best performance in an IU uniform with a team-leading 19 points. He showed versatility in his game, shooting jumpers and exploding to the basket for layups. Kel’el Ware also had another strong outing with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Malik Reneau added 16. Also, of note: Xavier Johnson was in a reserve role, with Gabe Cupps getting the start following Johnson’s ejection Wednesday at Rutgers.
Afterward, IU coach Mike Woodson spoke, Ryan Corazza wrote a Minute After,…