BLOOMINGTON, Indiana — After a 7-0 start and 10th place, Indiana fell to 10-6 and staggered toward the bubble a little over a month later.
The days after a 19-point loss at Penn State and what Trayce Jackson-Davis called “demoralizing” losses to Iowa and Northwestern consisted of lengthy filming and drills. Lots of shouting and shouting for coach Mike Woodson.
Woodson called out Miller Kopp and Jordan Geronimo for being “everywhere” in the loss to Penn State. He asked more of Trey Galloway, too.
“As a coach, when I challenge players, sometimes it makes them a little uncomfortable and I understand that,” Woodson said. “But at the end of the day they have to understand that I’m in their corner and I need them to play at a high level. It’s not personal, it’s coaching. That’s what I call it.”
Three straight losses were no fun for anyone, but Woodson noted his team brought good cheer to practice and was eager to turn things around. Understaffed and desperate, Saturday’s host No. 18 Wisconsin was a must for Indiana, even in mid-January.
With forward Race Thompson, who is six years older, out with a knee injury, Geronimo started for the third straight season. His first two career starts didn’t go according to plan, playing just 10 minutes and going 2-0 to Northwestern. Geronimo added six points and six rebounds at Penn State, but he’s been part of multiple bloopers on defense. He said those fights made him realize he needed more film time and preparation with the coaching staff.
It also came with a new mindset.
“I just played without worrying about being substituted or missing a shot and not taking it to the next game,” said Geronimo. “I only have a short memory. Play hard, play physically and make the right play. So I know when I have these possessions where I’m not playing well, I’m just like, ‘Hey, next possession, let’s do it, you know what I mean. Let’s move on.'”
Geronimo responded to Woodson’s challenge with his best game of the season. Woodson often calls Jackson-Davis and Thompson’s chemistry “buddy ball” when dominating opposing teams in the suit. On Saturday, Geronimo seamlessly filled in Thompson’s side of that connection.
With both teams struggling to score late in the first half, Jackson-Davis drew back from Wisconsin’s Steven Crowl on the right block. Markus Ilver shaded towards Jackson-Davis, allowing Geronimo to dive to the basket and catch Jackson-Davis’ pass under the basket. His first two shots fell short, but Geronimo grabbed his own rebound and pushed through several defenders to extend Indiana’s lead.
Two minutes later, Jackson-Davis missed a front-edge shot, but Geronimo ran over two badgers for the offensive rebound. No one could hold back Geronimo’s strength and athleticism as he finished the put back with his left hand.
“I thought we didn’t do a good job on Geronimo and he took advantage of that,” Crowl said. “He knows his role and he plays his role well. When we made him miss, we had some chances to clean up the mess there and he was able to secure some of those offensive rebounds… I think he was physically overpowering us at times.”
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After scoring six points in the first half, Geronimo went into the final 20 minutes of the game with confidence. Indiana led Wisconsin by a point at halftime, and the first five minutes of the second half proved to be the crucial stretch.
At the 16-minute mark, Max Klesmit’s 3-point corner attempt bounced off the front rim, and Geronimo increased the pace after the bounce. Nobody stopped the ball, so Geronimo took it coast to coast. Geronimo’s first layup was short as he slammed his shoulder into Carter Gilmore, but he dove towards the rim to repel his own miss. That sequence gave Indiana its first double-digit lead of the game, and the Hoosiers didn’t look back.
The “pal ball” between Jackson-Davis and Geronimo continued as Indiana extended their lead early in the second half. Jackson-Davis felt the Wisconsin doubles team collapse in the left block, and Geronimo punched his defender at the B1G logo below the free-throw line and arm-stretched challenged the ball to the basket. Jackson-Davis threw a pass over the 7-foot crowd’s arms and straight to Geronimo, who converted the layup with a Wisconsin foul.
“That lit a fire for this young man, Mike Woodson, a master motivator,” CBS play-by-play announcer Spero Dedes said after the play.
“That’s coaching,” added Jay Wright, a CBS analyst and Villanova’s former coach. “And Geronimo is trainable.”
Defensive adjustments were key to Indiana’s 63-45 win over Wisconsin, and Geronimo was a crucial factor. Indiana pushed Wisconsin harder than normal, positioning Geronimo at the front. With long arms, Geronimo refused entry passes and made Wisconsin’s possession start uncomfortable.
The Badgers scored their second-least points of the season on Saturday, shooting a miserable 32.1 percent overall, 5 to 24 from 3 and 4 to 11 from the free throw line. Geronimo finished the season with a season-high 12 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes, completing his second career double-double and first against a Big Ten opponent.
Woodson said Geronimo played into himself on Saturday, beating the defensive end, rebounding and shooting around the rim. Without Thompson moving forward, Geronimo’s showing against Wisconsin was just what Indiana needed.
The win was a step in the right direction for Indiana after three losses and they need to continue in Illinois on Thursday. Geronimo said that performance boosted his confidence as he responded in a big way to Woodson’s challenge.
“I thought he would be more relaxed tonight,” Woodson said. “And he’s done a lot of positive things on both ends of the floor. I just hope he can just grow from this game and keep playing that well.”
Jordan Geronimo (22) of Indiana is congratulated by teammates after coming out in the second half of the men’s basketball game between Indiana and Wisconsin at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday, January 14, 2023.
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times/USA TODAY NETWORK
- GAME STORY: INDIANA TAKES BACK BADGERS: Indiana looked lost during a recent three-game losing streak, but on Saturday they completely reversed the script, closing No. 18 Wisconsin 63-45 at Assembly Hall with a great defensive effort. CLICK HERE
- ESSEGIAN SHINES FOR WISCONSIN: Wisconsin freshman guard Connor Essegian scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds Saturday and returned to his home state. The 6-foot-4 guard from Fort Wayne, Indiana earned 2,526 career points for Central Noble High School. CLICK HERE
- WHAT WOODSON SAID Here’s what Indiana head coach Mike Woodson had to say after the Hoosiers’ 63-45 win over No. 18 Wisconsin indoors. Read his full transcript or just watch the attached video of the press conference. CLICK HERE
- WHAT JACKSON-DAVIS SAID TO GERONIMO: After the Hoosiers’ 63-45 win over No. 18 Wisconsin, forwards Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jordan Geronimo addressed the media. Read the full transcript or just watch the attached video of the entire press conference. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA SCHEDULE: The Indiana Hoosiers basketball schedule for the 2022-2023 season is complete. Here’s the full schedule with dates, game times and TV info, as well as links to the stories on the games already played. CLICK HERE
- JACKSON-DAVIS MOVES ON THE GOALS LIST: Trayce Jackson-Davis was already number 15 on Indiana’s all-time scoring chart before deciding to come back for his senior year. Now he’s on his way up the goalscoring chart again in 2022/23 and we’ll update the goalscoring chart after every game. CLICK HERE
