Get in your picks before 4:15 pm ET on Sunday. Please state your selection first thing in your comment. Overriding PTC principles are here and updated standings are available here. Good luck.
Player Pick to Click Wins, Season to-date:
+ Maurice Creek: 5
+ Verdell Jones: 5
+ Christian Watford: 4
+ Jeremiah Rivers: 2
Ann Arbor, Mich. — To be fair to Indiana, the final score was not reflective of the closeness of the game through the first 35 minutes. To be fair to Michigan, it still wasn’t that far off after the last five.
On this night, it was the familiar blend of turnovers, poor shot selection and an overall lack of offensive rhythm that doomed Indiana in a 69-45 loss. The Hoosiers were just 1-of-15 from behind the arc, shot 36.5 percent from the floor for the game and committed 19 turnovers, leading to 21 Michigan points.
“We got a lot of good looks, but they just wouldn’t fall,” Verdell Jones said afterward, referring in particular to the 3-point shooting.
Indiana fans can take heart in the Hoosiers’ defensive effort, which the final score probably doesn’t do justice. The visitors forced 16 turnovers and never let Michigan find its 3-point shot, one of the Wolverines’ preferred scoring methods. And it wasn’t until late in the second half that Michigan truly pulled away — cued, unsurprisingly, by Manny Harris’ 17 second-half points, most of which came in the final minutes.
“Credit Indiana, they did a wonderful job,” Michigan coach John Beilein said after the game. “I was really impressed with how they played defense today.”
Yes, that byline is correct. Ryan’s got the night off, so I’m taking the reigns on tonight’s GBU. Now, onward …
THE GOOD: IU WAS IN THE GAME, FOR 35 MINUTES.
For as much as Indiana struggled, and boy did they ever, the Hoosiers were in a conference road game with under six minutes to play. This, if my memory serves me correctly, was not the case last week in Columbus against Ohio State. Had you not watched the game and only looked at the final score, you would be shocked to learn Indiana was down just 48-43 at the 5:54 mark.
In a season that’s clearly headed in the direction of more losses than wins, progress must be measured in baby steps. And tonight, if Tom Crean and company need something to hang their hat on, it’s that they competed on the road for 35 minutes, as ugly as it was.
Also deserving of a mention in this space: Christian Watford. The freshman forward came to play and led IU in scoring with 16 points and also pulled down eight rebounds. Watford has a long way to go, but he continues to show flashes of talent that could make him an all-conference type of player down the road.
Ann Arbor, Mich. — In the immortal words of Dan Aykroyd: That wasn’t so good now, was it?
I mean, there’s pretty basketball, there’s good basketball, there’s plain basketball, and then there’s this. Michigan leads 27-21 at the half here inside Crisler Arena, and the two teams combined for 21 turnovers compared to 16 made shots.
Michigan’s edge is thanks largely to an 11-of-13 mark at the free-throw line, while surely someone will soon be pitching the Ollie Underhand to Jeremiah Rivers. I know, I wish I were funny, too.
All joking aside, Indiana can consider itself lucky to be this close after what was a miserable offensive half. The Hoosiers actually have more made field goals and offensive rebounds and as many assists as Michigan, but turnovers have again robbed this team of the chance to establish any offensive rhythm.
Indiana did a pretty good job moving the ball around early against Michigan’s 1-3-1 zone, particularly thanks to Devan Dumes and Jordan Hulls. But driving the baseline, among other things, has gotten the visitors into too much trouble tonight.
We’ll be back after the game with a full wrap, and of course, Good, Bad and Ugly, while I will be reveling in my freedom from print deadlines for this 9 p.m. start. Until then …
Pomeroy Preview: Minnesota at Indiana
Meet the 2009-2010 Minnesota Golden Gophers. 3-2 in the Big Ten. 12-5 overall. And really, really solid on defense. But that’s what we’ve come to expect from Tubby Smith coached teams: A rugged style of play that’s not particularly fun to watch, but produces wins. Winning, for those of you scoring at home, is normally the preferred outcome in athletic competition.
As you can see by glancing at Pomeroy’s numbers, there are few areas in which the Hoosiers compare favorably to Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are defending exceptionally well — they’re third nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, sixth in defensive turnover percentage and 28th in defensive effective field goal percentage.
The turnover percentage, in particular, should be of concern. While the Hoosiers do excel at forcing turnovers — 66th nationally in defensive turnover percentage — they’re giving quite of few possessions back with their 22.6 percent turnover percentage — 263rd nationally. Minnesota, on the other hand, does a solid job taking care of the ball — 62nd nationally in turnover percentage.
The team that effectively controls tempo will likely win this game. Indiana will look to score in transition and attempt to take better care of the ball. And Minnesota will look to continue carrying out its winning formula: slow it down, take care of the ball and take high percentage looks.
Pomeroy has it going down like this: Minnesota 77, Indiana 65. What say you?