The season has not been very kind to Mike Woodson and the Indiana basketball program. They currently sit ninth in the Big Ten conference standings and have a lot of ground to make up. Mackenzie Mgbako and Malik Reneau have been doing their best to lift the Hoosiers up in crucial moments. Those types of production have bore fruit, especially in their most recent win over Jahmir Young and the  Maryland Terrapins.

Indiana basketball now has 17 wins for the season and is starting to gain momentum before the Big Ten conference tournament. However, Coach Mike Woodson did not like how they started off against Maryland. He was particularly not a fan of the Hoosiers' defense which allowed Jahmir Young to pop off early in the game, via Jack Ankony of Sports Illustrated.

“We gave up so many layups the first half that it was sickening. At halftime it wasn’t real pretty in the locker room … And they came out and responded because we weren’t playing good basketball … As the game wore on, our defense got better,” the Indiana basketball coach declared.

Young ended the game with 22 points while only knocking down eight of his 18 field goal attempts. His four assists also gave the Terrapins some life whenever the Indiana basketball defense started to get to him. But, this was the most production that Maryland would see out of any of their players. The Hoosiers won the rebounding battle with 32 boards to the Terrapins who just got 26 for the game.

Indiana basketball smokes Maryland

Indiana Hoosiers forward Malik Reneau (5) divers under Maryland Terrapins guard Jahmir Young (1) for a loose ball
© Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Coach Woodson also saw big performances from his Indiana basketball stars. Mackenzie Mgbako lit up and sank eight of his 15 attempts from all three levels of scoring. This netted him 24 points to lead the team in scoring. Malik Reneau also notched 14 points while also grabbing five rebounds. The leaders were rounded out by Kel'el Ware. The Indiana basketball big man may have only scored nine points but his 15 boards were huge in giving the Hoosiers a much-needed advantage.

Indiana has two more games before they wrap up their regular season. Will they end it on a high note by winning against Minnesota and Michigan State?