At The Buzzer: Michigan 73, Indiana 57

  • 02/27/2021 2:12 pm in

Quick thoughts on a 73-57 loss to Michigan:

How it happened: Indiana needed a perfect performance on Saturday afternoon to knock off the nation’s No. 3 team. The Hoosiers didn’t deliver. After trading the lead a couple of times the first 6:30 of the contest, Michigan took the lead for good on an Isaiah Livers 3-pointer with 13:31 to play in the first half. Indiana couldn’t keep Michigan off the foul line in the first 20 minutes and by intermission, the Wolverines held a comfortable 42-33 advantage. Michigan outscored Indiana by 10 from the line in the first half and scored 1.20 points per possession.

The second half just reinforced how far Indiana is behind the Big Ten’s elite programs. By the 13:21 mark, Michigan’s lead was 15 on a Franz Wagner layup. By the 11:23 mark, Michigan had extended the lead to 17. Indiana never challenged the Wolverines the rest of the afternoon. The loss, Indiana’s third straight and sixth at home in conference play, was another blow to its dwindling NCAA tournament chances. At 12-12 overall with two road games remaining, Indiana needs a pair of wins next week to get back on the right side of the bubble.

Standout performer: In his final game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, senior Al Durham Jr. paced the Hoosiers with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field.

Statistics that stands out: Indiana entered the game with the best free throw rate (FTA/FGA) in the conference, but was outscored by six at the line by the Wolverines. Michigan also knocked down eight 3-pointers compared to just four for Indiana. For the second straight game, Indiana scored just .89 points per possession.

Final IU individual statistics:

Final tempo-free statistics:

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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