The 2019 NIT continued on Tuesday night with Indiana hosting a tough game against Wichita State. Things were pretty competitive throughout, but the Hoosiers fell short to the Shockers down the stretch.

Let’s take a look at what happened.

Game of the Day:

-No. 6 Wichita State Shockers 73, No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers 63

No team has the goal of making the NIT when the season starts. Everyone always strives to build a resume that’s good enough to make the NCAA Tournament. Although many fall short, nobody wants to end up playing in the nation’s second most prestigious tournament.

But since Indiana found itself in the NIT, it’s shown up pretty well. Romeo Langford sat out in the first two games, but the team showed a fair amount of fight and was able to use Juwan Morgan to grab two wins. And even if the first win came against a horrible team, the second came against a decent Arkansas team that beat the Hoosiers in November.

Fans were hoping that same energy would be present on Tuesday night.

Unfortunately, Wichita State would prove to be too much for a Hoosier team playing with a limited roster. Markis McDuffie finished with 21 points for the Shockers and Dexter Dennis had 17 points and six blocks in route to the victory. All told, Indiana fell by a final score of 73-63 at home.

With the loss, Indiana’s season official comes to a close with a 19-16 overall record. The Hoosiers got out to a fantastic start, but the team faded in Big Ten play. In fact, Indiana was actually 12-2 overall in early January. By any measure, the brutal finish to the season ruined what looked like it could be a special year in Bloomington.

Archie Miller and his staff will now have to go back to the drawing board heading into next season. The Hoosiers will look much different next season. Morgan is gone and most expect Langford to go pro. However, Indiana does welcome a talented recruiting class and has a handful of really talented young players. Fans will certainly have some high expectations for the team, given its underwhelming performances in Miller’s first two seasons. Either way, we will simply have to wait and see what ends up happening.