Film Session: Michigan

  • 01/25/2022 8:19 am in

The Hoosiers allowed Michigan to hit 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) from deep on Sunday afternoon, a big reason for Indiana’s 18-point loss.

Across all 40 minutes, IU left shooters wide open from 3-point range. It gave Michigan great looks and helped the Wolverines build early shooting confidence on the road.

So how’d it happen? Yes, Indiana’s decision to double Hunter Dickerson gave the Wolverines some of those great looks. But a look back at the film also reveals an Indiana team defense lacking awareness by sending too many defenders to the ball and failing to communicate. It was a rare poor defensive game from the Hoosiers and also their worst of the season (1.21 points per possession allowed).

We’ll take a look at four such possessions that turned into 3-point makes for the Wolverines in the latest edition of Film Session:

In our first clip, Xavier Johnson picks up Moussa Diabate in transition as Race Thompson picks up the ball and DeVante’ Jones. Jones enters the ball to Diabate on the right block. It’s here where things break down for the Hoosiers.

Perhaps because Diabate was Thompson’s defensive assignment at this point in the game, he goes down to him and doubles. But Johnson stays with Diabate and doesn’t rotate out to Jones. And with Miller Kopp digging down on Diabate, we now have three Hoosiers on the ball.

From there, it just takes some ball movement from the Wolverines to get Caleb Houstan an open look on the left wing, as Parker Stewart and Johnson scramble to the ball.

Indiana didn’t need three defenders on the ball here and Michigan made the Hoosiers pay.

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