BLOOMINGTON – Fifty-three days ago, Trey Galloway was subjected to a myriad of boos in front of his own fans in Assembly Hall.
Indiana men’s basketball was in the midst of a 94-69 loss to Illinois, and Galloway’s 3-for-11 performance agitated Indiana’s student section enough to jeer him during the Hoosiers’ second-largest defeat ever in Assembly Hall.
Saturday, with 1:24 left in Indiana’s regular season finale against Ohio State, Galloway nailed a 30-foot shot from the left arc to give the Hoosiers a five-point lead that they’d hold onto to win 66-60.
Galloway became the hero in the same building he was villainized in less than two months ago. In his final game in Assembly Hall, the fifth-year senior finished with 16 points and six assists while delivering an unforgettable moment.
“I couldn't be more proud because he's caught so much hell,” Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said of Galloway. “And it was only fitting that he hit the biggest shot of the game tonight to really seal it and give us the cushion that we needed to win.”
Despite enduring ridicule from fans during Indiana’s lowest points of the season, Galloway and his teammates got the year back on track. Indiana (19-12, 10-10 Big Ten) has won five of its last seven games, and Saturday’s win over Ohio State — another team on the NCAA Tournament bubble — may have clinched an NCAA Tournament appearance for the Hoosiers.
“My dad's always telling me, ‘If you listen to the crowd, you're going to be sitting with them,’” Galloway said. “… You can't really worry about what's going on on the outside. All I care about is what's in the locker room with me, and really just trusting that my teammates trust me to make plays and no matter what was said, or what was going on, it doesn't really matter.”
IU’s fan base is known for its unforgiving intensity, which has its perks. But when things go sour, IU fans aren’t the most patient in the country. That’s not to say that 25-point losses at home are acceptable. But the reaction to the Illinois game — when juxtaposed with the roar in Assembly Hall on Saturday — seems a little bizarre in hindsight.
Since it was announced that Woodson will step down concluding the season on Feb. 8, this team has played a lot more freely. The boos in Assembly Hall have stopped, as fans no longer feel they have to send some sort of message to the administration with every poor stretch of play IU has during games. Now, this team knows it’s playing for a coach who will be done at the conclusion of the season no matter what.
“Quick shoutout to Coach,” senior guard Anthony Leal said at the end of his press conference. “It was his last game here, too, before he steps down. We're just really happy for him to be able to send him out on a win. He means the world to us. Shoutout, Coach Woodson.”
Saturday’s win clinched the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten Tournament for Indiana. The Hoosiers will play Oregon — whom they lost to in Eugene on Tuesday — at noon in Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday, March 13.
Indiana’s postseason success will largely be reliant on Galloway, who has become the squad’s lead point guard. Galloway is averaging 14.2 points and 7.0 assists over Indiana’s last five games, and the Hoosiers are 4-1 in that stretch. As Indiana plays in front of a favorable crowd an hour north of campus next week, Galloway’s expected to hear far more cheers than jeers.
“For the fans to sit in here and boo him during the time that they booed him, it just wasn't right,” Woodson said. “It
just wasn't. Because that kid competes. He gives his heart. I have nothing but respect and love for Galloway.”
