Sunday, January 6
Ann Arbor, MI
4:30 PM
Indiana University
12-3, 3-1
63
at
74
Michigan
15-0, 4-0
1
2
F
Indiana
29
34
63
Michigan
44
30
74
No. 21 Indiana Falls at No. 2 Michigan, 74-63
1/6/2019 6:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Andy Graham, IUHoosiers.com
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Indiana ran right into a maize-and-blue buzzsaw Sunday afternoon.
The Hoosiers then did their best to pick up the severed pieces, but never quite got fully whole during a 74-63 loss to the unbeaten and No. 2-ranked Michigan Wolverines.
IU, winner of seven straight entering the game, eventually showed the sort of grit that has won it a lot of close ones this season. But the first few minutes Sunday were worst-nightmare stuff in terms of Hoosier chances.
Led by scalding shooting from Jordan Poole and Charles Matthews, Michigan made 9 of its first 11 attempts (including 3 of 4 from 3-point range).
And Indiana scoring leaders Romeo Langford and Juwan Morgan had two fouls apiece just 1:20 into the game.
"I'm sure it affected us, obviously, a little bit," IU coach Archie Miller said on post-game radio of the early foul issues. "Romeo's first turnover led to a quick foul (on him). And then he got his second one.
And Juwan obviously picked up his second one quickly, as well.
"That's a devastating thing to have to play through … it definitely knocked us on our heels there a little bit."
Morgan and Langford both sat till 13:22 remained in the half, with IU down 21-9, but even when on the court they stayed uncharacteristically cold from the field.
By the time each team had 20 shots, Michigan had 15 field goals and Indiana had nine.
That helped fuel a 21-4 Wolverine run that saw Michigan's lead peak at 32-13 at the 8:23 mark, at which juncture Morgan and Langford were shooting a combined 2-for-12.
And it all amounted to another slow start for an Indiana team prone to those. The Hoosiers haven't really come out firing on all cylinders since blowing out Marquette way back on Nov. 14.
"Without question, we weren't ready to start the game," Miller said. "I'm not really sure why our team isn't preparing to play games, in the way that we're starting them, but I give Michigan a lot of credit.
"They were really, really sharp in their attack during the first part of the first half. They picked on a couple of coverages that we have and really exploited some 1-on-1s. And then we picked up a couple of fouls early, which got us out of rhythm."
But the Hoosiers slowly started stabilizing and got the deficit back to a slightly more manageable 44-29 by halftime. Morgan had 10 points and Langford had six by then, a sign of things to come.
"We sort of settled down a little bit," Miller said. "We talked a lot at halftime about being to come out and be ourselves a little more and find a way to turn the game around, and we did."
Morgan and Langford led the way.
And the Hoosier defense collectively clamped down much more effectively. Michigan shot .581 in the first half but just .407 in the second.
The second half scoring started with a nifty reverse layup by Morgan, who posted Indiana's first five points after intermission. And by the time Langford buried a 3 from the left wing, IU was within 48-37 with 16:35 to play.
After a fine Morgan effort inside to make it 50-39, he picked up his third personal by fouling Michigan freshman Iggy Brazdeikis on a 3-point attempt.
"Just uncharacteristic silly fouls at the end of the shot-clock on Brazdeikis," Miller said. " … Especially the 3. I thought we'd been in pretty good rhythm there."
The Hoosiers kept fighting, though.
A traditional 3-point play by Morgan and a 3 from the top of the key by Devonte Green got the deficit to single digits at 55-46 with 12:50 left.
And the Hoosiers closed within seven at 57-50 on an offensive rebound and 10-footer in the lane from Langford with at the 10:52 mark.
Michigan point guard Zavier Simpson responded with one of his patented running hook shots and then assisted Matthews inside to get the lead back to double-digits a minute later.
"I thought, with about eight minutes to go, if we just would have hung tough and be a bit more disciplined, a little smarter, we'd have had a chance to creep that thing down a little further," Miller said. "But we didn't."
IU got within nine points on several instances thereafter, the last time at 70-61 on a Morgan 3 with 3:00 to play, but indeed never got over the considerable hump.
"We were a little bit undisciplined at times when I thought we had a chance to creep back in it," Miller said, "… and then as a team we missed, uncharacteristically I thought, a ton of easy – or at least … point-blank 2-point shots – that we generally had been making up to this point. We left a lot at the rim.
"But, again, you have to give Michigan credit. They're ranked No. 2 in the country. They have unbelievable guard play right now. Especially playing them here, we knew it was going to be a difficult game."
Michigan (15-0 overall, one game shy of its best start ever, and 4-0 in Big Ten play) finished at .500 from the field. Poole and Matthews had 18 points apiece, with Simpson adding 12 and Brazdeikis 10.
Indiana shot .426 for the game. And the Wolverines weren't going to permit IU to shoot its way back into contention with 3s (IU finished 5 of 14 from beyond the arc.) Morgan ended up with a game-high 25 points and Langford had 17.
"Michigan does a terrific job of trying to take away the 3-point shot," Miller said. "You don't get many off. From defense to offense we tried to establish, at least in the second half, the paint – where we're good – and we got them in foul trouble and were able to pair the deficit back.
"But we weren't explosive enough behind the 3-point line and weren't able to get run-outs. They only had three turnovers in the game. So our defense couldn't create the opportunities for easy ones."
IU just seven turnovers, a season low – even playing without starting point guard Rob Phinisee, who remains in concussion protocol. The Hoosiers were also without De'Ron Davis, nursing an ankle injury.
"I thought we took care of the ball pretty well, for the most part," Miller said. "We were able to execute and do some things. Again, there were just a lot of shots near the basket that didn't go down that we normally make. Hopefully that's just a blip on the radar and we'll be back to ourselves.
"For us, we can't get too caught up in one loss. We have to get caught up in what we have to do to become better, which is what we'll do. As we approach this next one, we'll continue to work to get better."
The next one for Indiana is Friday's 7 p.m. tipoff at Maryland, part of a six road games in an eight-game stretch that started Sunday.
But one of IU's home dates in that span is Jan. 25, with Michigan. As Miller noted:
"We'll have another opportunity to play them in a couple of weeks."
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Indiana ran right into a maize-and-blue buzzsaw Sunday afternoon.
The Hoosiers then did their best to pick up the severed pieces, but never quite got fully whole during a 74-63 loss to the unbeaten and No. 2-ranked Michigan Wolverines.
IU, winner of seven straight entering the game, eventually showed the sort of grit that has won it a lot of close ones this season. But the first few minutes Sunday were worst-nightmare stuff in terms of Hoosier chances.
Led by scalding shooting from Jordan Poole and Charles Matthews, Michigan made 9 of its first 11 attempts (including 3 of 4 from 3-point range).
And Indiana scoring leaders Romeo Langford and Juwan Morgan had two fouls apiece just 1:20 into the game.
"I'm sure it affected us, obviously, a little bit," IU coach Archie Miller said on post-game radio of the early foul issues. "Romeo's first turnover led to a quick foul (on him). And then he got his second one.
And Juwan obviously picked up his second one quickly, as well.
"That's a devastating thing to have to play through … it definitely knocked us on our heels there a little bit."
Morgan and Langford both sat till 13:22 remained in the half, with IU down 21-9, but even when on the court they stayed uncharacteristically cold from the field.
By the time each team had 20 shots, Michigan had 15 field goals and Indiana had nine.
That helped fuel a 21-4 Wolverine run that saw Michigan's lead peak at 32-13 at the 8:23 mark, at which juncture Morgan and Langford were shooting a combined 2-for-12.
And it all amounted to another slow start for an Indiana team prone to those. The Hoosiers haven't really come out firing on all cylinders since blowing out Marquette way back on Nov. 14.
"Without question, we weren't ready to start the game," Miller said. "I'm not really sure why our team isn't preparing to play games, in the way that we're starting them, but I give Michigan a lot of credit.
"They were really, really sharp in their attack during the first part of the first half. They picked on a couple of coverages that we have and really exploited some 1-on-1s. And then we picked up a couple of fouls early, which got us out of rhythm."
But the Hoosiers slowly started stabilizing and got the deficit back to a slightly more manageable 44-29 by halftime. Morgan had 10 points and Langford had six by then, a sign of things to come.
"We sort of settled down a little bit," Miller said. "We talked a lot at halftime about being to come out and be ourselves a little more and find a way to turn the game around, and we did."
Morgan and Langford led the way.
And the Hoosier defense collectively clamped down much more effectively. Michigan shot .581 in the first half but just .407 in the second.
The second half scoring started with a nifty reverse layup by Morgan, who posted Indiana's first five points after intermission. And by the time Langford buried a 3 from the left wing, IU was within 48-37 with 16:35 to play.
After a fine Morgan effort inside to make it 50-39, he picked up his third personal by fouling Michigan freshman Iggy Brazdeikis on a 3-point attempt.
"Just uncharacteristic silly fouls at the end of the shot-clock on Brazdeikis," Miller said. " … Especially the 3. I thought we'd been in pretty good rhythm there."
The Hoosiers kept fighting, though.
A traditional 3-point play by Morgan and a 3 from the top of the key by Devonte Green got the deficit to single digits at 55-46 with 12:50 left.
And the Hoosiers closed within seven at 57-50 on an offensive rebound and 10-footer in the lane from Langford with at the 10:52 mark.
Michigan point guard Zavier Simpson responded with one of his patented running hook shots and then assisted Matthews inside to get the lead back to double-digits a minute later.
"I thought, with about eight minutes to go, if we just would have hung tough and be a bit more disciplined, a little smarter, we'd have had a chance to creep that thing down a little further," Miller said. "But we didn't."
IU got within nine points on several instances thereafter, the last time at 70-61 on a Morgan 3 with 3:00 to play, but indeed never got over the considerable hump.
"We were a little bit undisciplined at times when I thought we had a chance to creep back in it," Miller said, "… and then as a team we missed, uncharacteristically I thought, a ton of easy – or at least … point-blank 2-point shots – that we generally had been making up to this point. We left a lot at the rim.
"But, again, you have to give Michigan credit. They're ranked No. 2 in the country. They have unbelievable guard play right now. Especially playing them here, we knew it was going to be a difficult game."
Michigan (15-0 overall, one game shy of its best start ever, and 4-0 in Big Ten play) finished at .500 from the field. Poole and Matthews had 18 points apiece, with Simpson adding 12 and Brazdeikis 10.
Indiana shot .426 for the game. And the Wolverines weren't going to permit IU to shoot its way back into contention with 3s (IU finished 5 of 14 from beyond the arc.) Morgan ended up with a game-high 25 points and Langford had 17.
"Michigan does a terrific job of trying to take away the 3-point shot," Miller said. "You don't get many off. From defense to offense we tried to establish, at least in the second half, the paint – where we're good – and we got them in foul trouble and were able to pair the deficit back.
"But we weren't explosive enough behind the 3-point line and weren't able to get run-outs. They only had three turnovers in the game. So our defense couldn't create the opportunities for easy ones."
IU just seven turnovers, a season low – even playing without starting point guard Rob Phinisee, who remains in concussion protocol. The Hoosiers were also without De'Ron Davis, nursing an ankle injury.
"I thought we took care of the ball pretty well, for the most part," Miller said. "We were able to execute and do some things. Again, there were just a lot of shots near the basket that didn't go down that we normally make. Hopefully that's just a blip on the radar and we'll be back to ourselves.
"For us, we can't get too caught up in one loss. We have to get caught up in what we have to do to become better, which is what we'll do. As we approach this next one, we'll continue to work to get better."
The next one for Indiana is Friday's 7 p.m. tipoff at Maryland, part of a six road games in an eight-game stretch that started Sunday.
But one of IU's home dates in that span is Jan. 25, with Michigan. As Miller noted:
"We'll have another opportunity to play them in a couple of weeks."
Team Stats
IND
MICH
FG%
.426
.500
3FG%
.357
.250
FT%
.750
.750
RB
34
31
TO
7
3
STL
1
4
Game Leaders
Pts
25
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
Forward
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