Indiana Hoosiers Knock Off UCLA Bruins In 2 OT Thriller
If you turned off the TV with two minutes left, assuming Indiana had this one in the bag, you missed one of the most chaotic, heart-pounding finishes of the college basketball season. You also missed the kind of resilience that turns a good season into a memorable one.
For a moment, it looked like cruise control. Nick Dorn was unconscious from deep, splashing his sixth three-pointer of the day to put the Hoosiers up 10. The UCLA crowd was quiet. The game felt over.
Then, the wheels came off. In less than 100 seconds, that comfortable cushion evaporated. It was a perfect storm of missed free throws, shaky ball handling against the press, and defensive lapses. Suddenly, UCLA’s Trent Perry was burying a contested three with 1.1 seconds left, and we were heading to overtime.
But here’s the thing about this Indiana team: they didn’t fold. They took UCLA’s best punch, weathered a double-overtime storm, and escaped Los Angeles with a gritty 98-97 victory. It wasn’t pretty, it definitely wasn’t easy, and it probably took a few years off Mike Woodson’s life, but a win is a win.
Nick Dorn and Reed Bailey Carry the Load
Let’s talk about Dorn. For a stretch in the second half, the junior guard was simply unstoppable. After UCLA had erased an early deficit, Dorn took over. He scored 15 of Indiana’s first 19 points coming out of the break, effectively putting the offense on his back.
He finished with a team-high 26 points, hitting 8-of-18 from the field and a sizzling 6-of-15 from downtown. But basketball is a cruel game; Dorn went cold in overtime, not scoring a single point in the extra sessions.
That’s when the torch was passed. Reed Bailey, who had a quiet but solid 10 points at the half, stepped up when the lights got brightest. The 6-foot-10 forward was a force, finishing with 24 points. He was efficient (6-for-7 from the floor) and absolute money from the line, draining 12 of 13 free throws. He also added 6 boards and 5 assists for good measure.
And let’s not forget Lamar Wilkerson. The sixth-year senior was the steady hand in the chaos of overtime, constantly getting to the rim and finishing with 24 points of his own. It was a three-headed monster that UCLA just couldn’t quite slay.
A Massive Resume Builder For Indiana
Coming into this week, Indiana’s resume was looking a little light on signature wins. They beat Rutgers comfortably, which was nice, but the real statement came against No. 12 Purdue earlier in the week.
Beating UCLA at Pauley Pavilion? That’s the cherry on top. The Bruins were undefeated at home and sitting pretty at No. 40 in the NET rankings. This counts as a Quad 1 win. It is the kind of victory the selection committee circles in red ink come March. To get two of those in the span of a few days transforms the conversation around this team from “bubble watch” to “seeding talk.”
It wasn’t just that they won; it was how they won. Road wins in college basketball are gold. Double-overtime road wins where you blow a lead and have to mentally reset? Those are platinum.
Momentum Is Real In the DeVries Era
It feels like a lifetime ago that Indiana was staring down the barrel of a four-game losing streak. The vibes were bad. The Twitter timeline was toxic. There were questions about the direction of the program under Darian DeVries.
Flip the script. With three straight wins, including two heavy hitters, the wind is firmly at their backs as we head into February. You can see the difference on the court. They’re playing harder. They’re playing for each other. You see guys like Tucker DeVries passing up good shots to get teammates great shots. You see a bench that is engaged and energized.
Dorn’s emergence as a legitimate perimeter threat changes the geometry of the floor for everyone else. Bailey is flashing the potential everyone knew was there. And despite a quiet scoring night, freshman Trent Sisley stepped up to the line with 0.3 seconds left and ice in his veins to hit the game-winner.
This team isn’t perfect. The collapse in regulation is proof of that. But they are resilient, they are talented, and right now, they are finding ways to win. And in college basketball, that’s all that matters.
