BLOOMINGTON As Indiana celebrated its 20th win Wednesday night after dispatching Nebraska 89-64 in the Big Ten Tournament, there was a thought the Hoosiers had done enough to secure their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2016.

It would turn out to be the final Big Ten contest of the season. Late Thursday morning, the Big Ten announced it was cancelling the tournament. Later Thursday, the NCAA announced it was cancelling all of its postseason events as well, due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

It was another season of progress for Indiana coach Archie Miller, whose teams have gone from 16 to 19 to 20 wins in three seasons. In finishing 20-12, IU had some high moments, including an 80-64 win over ACC champion Florida State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge and an upset of Big Ten tri-champion Michigan State 67-63 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

But there also was a midseason four-game losing streak, two more losses to rival Purdue and blown second-half leads in home losses to Arkansas, Maryland and Wisconsin. Consistency was an issue for the Hoosiers throughout the season, especially on the road, where IU was 2-8 and lost four of those games by 15 or more points.

Indiana finished tied for 10th out of 14 teams in the rough-and-tumble Big Ten and went below .500 in league games (10-11) even with the win over Nebraska on Wednesday night. Still, given the strength of the Big Ten, Miller believed IU did enough to make the tournament. He may get his chance to find out, as reports circulated Friday the NCAA may consider doing a selection show to reveal the 68 teams that would have made this years field.

When you hear your name being called Sunday night, its life changing. Dreams are coming true, Miller said in a podcast with Stadium.coms Jeff Goodman on Friday. You have yourself in a situation where you can go and really recreate your narrative around your career as a player, you can recreate the image of your own program, one win, one run in the tournament.

It changes things and just to be in it in Year 3, which we were going to be, its a step in the right direction. Were continuing to climb the ladder, and momentum is building in recruiting.

IU will lose a pair of seniors, guard Devonte Green and forward DeRon Davis, unless an NCAA measure is passed that would give winter sports participants the option of another year of eligibility. Even then, Green and Davis may decide on their own to finish their college careers and play professionally.

The 6-foot-3 Green had a hand in some of IUs biggest wins, scoring a career-high 30 points against FSU and helping IU snap a four-game losing streak with 27 points against Iowa. He finished second on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game, first in 3-pointers made (59) and second in 3-point field goal percentage (.358).

Davis started the season slowly but came on toward the end, scoring a career-high 18 points and tying an IU record by going 9-of-9 from the floor at Michigan.

They were going to realize that they were going to be the first senior class to not be called, as a four-year player at Indiana, that they didnt make the tournament, Miller said on the podcast. Think about that. That was their motivation, and I told those two guys, Hey, look, in my book, were in the tournament. We made it.

IU is expected to return all five of its starters including freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, who earned Big Ten all-freshman and third team honors in leading IU in scoring (13.5 ppg), rebounding (8.4 rpg) and blocked shots (59). The 6-9, 245-pound Jackson-Davis has made every indication he intends to return for his sophomore year to improve his perimeter game and right hand to enhance his NBA draft stock.

Guard Al Durham (9.8 ppg, a team-high 38.3% from 3-point range) also is expected back for his senior year after starting all 32 games as junior, as is junior forward Justin Smith (10.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg), who is IUs most versatile defender. Sophomore point guard Rob Phinisee struggled with injuries early in the season but should improve as a junior after finishing the year averaging 7.3 points with a team-high 93 assists.

Center Joey Brunk (6.8 ppg., 5.2 rpg) tailed off somewhat after a strong start, but the Butler transfer provided leadership in the locker room while adapting to his first year playing in the Big Ten.

Off the bench, sophomore forward Race Thompson (3.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg), freshman forward Jerome Hunter (3.8 ppg, 19 3-pointers) and freshman guard Armaan Franklin (3.7 ppg, 41 assists) all developed in bench roles. Franklin scored a game-high 13 points and took three charges in IUs final win against Nebraska.

The last three or four weeks, his role really hasnt diminished in our eyes, but his minutes have gone down, Miller said Wednesday. He stays with it. Hes a great kid. Hes an unbelievable teammate.

Indiana already has three incoming freshmen signed for the 2020-21 season to bolster depth in the backcourt and on the wings, 6-4 shooting guard Anthony Leal (Bloomington South), 6-4 guard Trey Galloway (The Culver Academies) and 6-6 swingman Jordan Geronimo (Newark, N.J.). A fourth player, 6-3 point guard Khristian Lander (Evansville Reitz), could decide to reclassify from the 2021 to 2020 class. A five-star recruit, Lander is a scoring point guard with dynamic speed with the ball in his hands. He could potentially push Phinisee for playing time next season, or it could give Miller the option to explore more three-guard lineups, with Lander, Phinisee and Durham on the floor at the same time.

As a team, IU improved its 3-point percentage (from 31.2% last season to 32.6% in 2019-20) but still had issues taking care of and passing the basketball, finishing last in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (414-404). As a result, IU was prone to long scoring droughts at times. The Hoosiers, bolstered by their season-ending 89-point performance against Nebraksa, finished the year eighth in the league in scoring at 71.4 points per game.

The IU womens team also enjoyed a successful year in head coach Teri Morens sixth season. The Hoosiers finished No. 20 in the AP womens basketball poll, going 24-8 with a program-record for wins.

IU will lose senior forward Brenna Wise but will return a strong squad led by junior All-Big Ten point guard Ali Patberg, a national player of the year candidate who led IU in scoring (15.6 ppg) and assists (168).

The highlight of the season for IU was a 71-57 win over current No. 1 South Carolina (32-1) at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Nov. 28. In a statement, Moren said it was heartbreaking for the womens season to end before taking part in the NCAA Tournament, but the team is understanding and sympathetic to everyone effected by the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19.

This is one of the most special teams Ive ever had the pleasure of coaching, Moren said. We have accomplished so much that we have never been able to do before, and I cant wait for the future of Indiana womens basketball.

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IU shows slight progress in third year under Miller - The Herald Bulletin