Five takeaways from IU basketball’s loss at Michigan

Lamar Wilkerson handles the ball at Michigan.

IU basketball dropped its fourth straight contest, falling 86-72 on Tuesday night to Michigan at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.

Here are five takeaways from the loss to the Wolverines:

Indiana couldn’t defend Michigan without fouling

The Wolverines, the No. 1 team in the country according to KenPom.com, had their way offensively against Indiana.

Michigan’s versatility and size overpowered the Hoosiers, leading to a parade to the free-throw line and foul issues all evening for IU.

The Wolverines posted a free-throw rate (FTA/FGA) of 62.3 percent against the Hoosiers, their second-highest mark of the season. It was the second-highest free-throw rate for an IU opponent this season, second only to Kentucky.

Fortunately for Indiana, Michigan struggled to convert at the line. The Wolverines shot just 22-for-33 from the stripe or the final margin would have been higher.

Indiana had two players – Conor Enright and Sam Alexis – who fouled out and Reed Bailey finished with four fouls.

Indiana fared better offensively than most Michigan opponents

If you watched Tuesday’s game and thought Indiana played poorly offensively, the numbers say that the Hoosiers fared better than most have against the nation’s No. 2 defense.

The Hoosiers finished the contest with 1.027 points per possession, the fourth-highest mark for a Michigan opponent this season.

The combination of Michigan’s size, switching, and defensive versatility and Indiana’s lack of post scoring forced the Hoosiers into a 3-point attempt percentage (3PA/FGA) of 59.6, the second-highest mark for a Michigan opponent this season.

Indiana only connected on 11 of its 34 attempts for distance, which is 32.4 percent.

Defensive backslide continues in Big Ten play

Another game, another poor defensive performance for Indiana.

For the fourth straight game, Indiana surrendered more than 1.2 points per possession.

In its four-game losing streak, the Hoosiers have allowed 1.241 points per possession against Nebraska, 1.25 against Michigan State, 1.286 against Iowa and 1.227 against Michigan.

In conference play – Indiana is 3-5 through eight games – it is surrendering 1.158 points per possession, which ranks 11th in the Big Ten.

If the Hoosiers continue to defend at this level, a bottom-half Big Ten finish will be the final result for this group.

Tucker DeVries plays well offensively in the second half

The game was never in the balance after the opening five minutes. Michigan led wire-to-wire and built a 9-0 advantage by the 14:43 mark of the first half.

The poor start was made worse by Tucker DeVries committing two fouls in the first 1:20 and turning the ball over on IU’s first possession.

It was a first half to forget for DeVries, who logged 12 minutes, missed both of his shot attempts and went scoreless.

DeVries came to life in the second half, but the game was already decided by that point.

The 6-foot-7 senior scored 15 points in 18 second-half minutes. He shot 5-for-9 from the field, including a 4-for-7 mark on 3-pointers. It helped offset a challenging game for Lamar Wilkerson, who went 0-for-5 on 3s and scored eight points in 38 minutes.

Michigan appears to have hit a mid-season malaise

The Wolverines, led by second-year coach Dusty May, are a legit national championship contender. It will be no surprise to see May lead his program to the Final Four in Indianapolis.

But for the fifth-straight game, Michigan looked mortal for stretches.

Indiana was the fifth straight opponent to score more than a point per possession against Michigan. In its first 13 games, Michigan only gave up more than a point per possession three times.

The recent backslide defensively has moved Michigan to No. 2 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings.

The 14-point win for Michigan was its largest margin of victory since a 96-66 win against USC on Jan. 2.

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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