Michigan returned home and rattled off another double-digit win on Tuesday, stifling Indiana early and gradually pulling away for the 86-72 victory.
The Wolverines led by 17 points a quarter of the way into the game, and were never threatened. They never delivered the knockout blow they made famous in November and December, but still walked away with a 14-point win over the struggling Hoosiers.
It was a game that felt representative of Michigan’s January form. This wasn’t the razzle-dazzle dominance that took the sport by storm six to eight weeks ago with 30- and 40-point wins, but it was a team that flashed that ability when it mattered while never reaching full throttle.
Big Ten basketball is a grind, especially coming off a short turnaround from a two-game Pacific Northwest road trip.
The Wolverines beat a competent Big Ten foe by 14 points, four players reached double-figures, and all nine rotation players scored. When the game was in the balance, Indiana couldn’t score.
That’s enough for Michigan on most nights, and it was tonight, but to win the Big Ten, the Wolverines are going to have to rediscover that killer instinct that got them to this point.
Michigan scored 1.23 points per possession thanks to its 3-point shooting (10-of-25), offensive rebounding (38% of misses), and a deluge of Indiana fouls (33 FTA).
The story of the first half was turnovers (8) and missed free throws (1-of-8), but Michigan corrected both in the second half with 4 turnovers and 21-of-25 shooting at the stripe.
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