Michigan Basketball falls at Indiana 81-73

In a battle of Top 3 teams, Michigan Basketball lost 81-73 at Indiana on Saturday night. The Wolverines fell to 20-2, 7-2. The game was simply fantastic and had the feel of a Final Four showdown. In the end, Indiana, propelled by their home court advantage and more experienced players, was able to secure the victory. Michigan acquitted themselves well and did nothing to diminish their place among the nation’s elite teams.

How they lost

Indiana landed a real haymaker on the Wolverines right out of the gates by knocking down 11 of their first 13 shots and stretching out an early 15 point lead. Michigan withstood the rally, then took advantage when Yogi Ferrell left the game with two fouls. At that time the Hoosiers were leading 26-13 with 10:35 to play in the opening stanza. From that point, the Wolverines went on a 19-6 run to pull within 36-32 at the half.

Trey Burke

The second half featured two national championship contenders trading punches. First, Michigan tied the game up at 40-40. The Hoosiers responded with a 11-0 run to regain control, forcing John Beilein to call a timeout. Michigan jabbed right back with a 11-2 run and back and forth they went for the rest of the game.

Down the stretch, Indiana was able to hold off the feisty Wolverines and grab sole possession of first place in the Wild, Wild West, also known as the Big Ten.

3 Stars

Trey Burke: Michigan’s All-American point guard, as usual, did the heavy lifting. He hoisted up 24 shots, connecting on 9 of them and finished with a game-high 25 points. Burke also dished out 8 assists, collected 5 rebounds and snagged 2 steals. On the downside, Burke was 4-12 from beyond the arc.

Mitch McGary: It was McGary’s trademark hustle and energy that sparked the Wolverines run in the first half. If he wasn’t diving on the floor for loose balls, he was stealing the rock from Cody Zeller and finishing on the other end. McGary equaled his career-high with 10 points and also pulled down 7 rebounds. For good measure, he added 2 steals, 1 assist and a block.

Tim Hardaway Jr: While Indiana was on their big run early, it was Hardaway Jr who kept Michigan from falling too far behind. He finished with 18 points, but just 1 rebound.

News and Notes

Michigan was 7-23 from three-point range.

If the above stat wasn’t then this was the decisive stat of the game, Indiana was 22-25 from the free throw line – including 15 straight to end the game.

Indiana turned the ball over 16 times. Michigan committed just 8 turnovers.

The Hoosiers out-rebounded Michigan 36-22

Jordan Morgan was able to log just 2 minutes of playing time as he continues to recover from a sprained ankle.

Glenn Robinson III played all 40 minutes, but scored just 2 points on 1-6 shooting.

Up Next

Michigan will return home and face Ohio State on Tuesday night, tip is set for 9pm and the game will be televised on ESPN. After that, Michigan hits the road for games at Wisconsin and at Michigan State.

If you would like to receive an email notification each time a Michigan Basketball story is posted you can fill out the Email Notification Form.