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.

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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 …

Get in your picks before 8:45 pm ET on Thursday. Please state your selection first thing in your comment. Overriding PTC principles are here. Good luck. (Note: Standings will be updated sometime this weekend.)

THE GOOD: RESOLVE.

Oh baby, what a win. With Mo Creek out for the season, and Indiana fans a bit down, a bit defeated, IU proved this afternoon inside Assembly Hall that your leading scorer does not an entire team make. Sure, Michigan isn’t that great a squad right now, and some dumb fouling kept Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims off the court for some time, but when Harris was in the game, Jeremiah Rivers did a good job keeping him in check.

Devan Dumes filled in great for Creek in the first half, hitting 3-of-5 threes for nine points, and flashing some defense as well. He was a big reason IU lead at half. Jay Bilas had the line of the afternoon when giving Dumes props for his first-half performance: “Sometimes a kid just needs to be needed.” Incredibly fitting for a player like Dumes.

And then there was everyone else filling in their roles as well: Verdell Jones continues to be a rock, and hit some big shots in both halves when IU needed them. He finished the game with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He played with purpose. He wanted this game. Bad. And Watford was right there with him, as he went 7-for-12 for 19 points this afternoon. If those two, along with Dumes can continue to lead the way on offense with guys like Jordan Hulls, Derek Elston and Rivers picking their spots and contributing as well, IU might be OK.

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Get in your picks before 11:45 am ET on Thursday. Remember, please state your selection first thing in your comment. Overriding PTC principles are here. Good luck.

Rather than the traditional Know Thy Opponent format, where I attempt to sound intelligent discussing a team besides Indiana, today we’ve reached out to Dylan over at the excellent Michigan hoops blog, UMHoops, for the scoop on the Wolverines. Our e-mail Q & A exchange is posted below for your reading pleasure. (I answered questions over at UMHoops at this link.)

Michigan was ranked No. 15 in the preseason in both the AP and Coaches’ Poll. Looking back on that, was the ranking too high or has this team just not lived up to its capabilities?

It sounds like a cop out, but it’s almost certainly a mix of both. Michigan wasn’t the 15th best team in the country. They were a 2nd round NCAA tournament team that finished .500 in conference play and snuck into the NCAA tournament. However, their youth last year coupled with John Beilein’s coaching pedigree gave folks reason to overestimate their abilities.

That being said, this team wasn’t supposed to be this bad. The biggest problem is that they just can’t hit shots. They are shooting 28.3 percent from three-point range which ranks last among all major-conference teams. It’s tough to win with any offense when you can’t hit shots but when you are undersized and running John Beilein’s offense, it’s almost impossible.

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