rewrite this content and keep HTML tags
Indiana dropped its fifth straight game, falling 70-67 to Michigan on Saturday afternoon at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers are now 14-10 overall and 5-8 in Big Ten play.
Here are five takeaways from the loss to the Wolverines:
Another poor start for the Hoosiers
Lethargic. That’s the best way to describe Indiana’s effort in the first half against Michigan.
The Hoosiers dug an 11-point hole early and trailed by as many as 18 points in the opening 20 minutes against the Wolverines. These types of starts have been a theme of Indiana’s disappointing 2024-25 campaign and Saturday was the latest example.
Continuously falling behind is no recipe for winning games in the Big Ten, but Indiana has made a habit of it in Mike Woodson’s fourth season in Bloomington.
“We haven’t been the same team for a while,” Woodson said postgame. “And for whatever reason, we’ve dug a hole. I’ve done a terrible job in really putting them in the best position possible to win, I think.”
Woodson’s inability to get this group of Hoosiers to show up consistently is one of many reasons this season will be his last in Bloomington.
Myles Rice benched for the second half
Washington State transfer Myles Rice was supposed to be the answer for Indiana at point guard.
But 24 games into the season, Rice has been a disappointment more often than not. On Saturday, Rice played 12 minutes and was benched for the entire second half.
Rice finished with two points on 1-for-6 shooting. His final stat line: two points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and two fouls.
Benching Rice – and Oumar Ballo – for most of the second half allowed the Hoosiers to climb back into the game. One of the key storylines of this season has been Indiana’s inability to fit together its talent into a cohesive, functioning basketball team.
In his postgame press conference, Woodson was asked why the talent hasn’t translated into success. His explanation offered little clarity.
“I wish I knew,” Woodson said. “As the coach, your roster is changing every year, and that’s no excuse. And you think you’re putting the right pieces in play. And I think our guys got wonderful intentions, man, and they do want to win. But it hasn’t worked the last three, four weeks for our ball club.
“So my job, again, as the coach is to continue to push them and keep them in a good frame of mind and hopefully something good will click. And we need to get a game under their belt so they can start feeling good about themselves.”
Mackenzie Mgbako carries Indiana in the second half
Indiana was able to climb back into the game largely due to the second-half play of sophomore Mackenzie Mgbako.
The 6-foot-9 forward scored all 15 points in the second half. He was 5-for-7 from the field and didn’t come off the floor in the second half.
Mgbako has scored 15 or more points in five straight games.
In addition to his scoring, Mgbako was as engaged on the glass and defensively as he’s been all season in the second half. The Gladstone, New Jersey native had six rebounds in the second half and was active as a defender.
However, Mgbako’s 3-point shooting in Big Ten play continues to underwhelm. After shooting 37.8 percent from distance in Big Ten games as a freshman, he’s just 18-for-65 (27.7 percent) this season from beyond the arc.
Indiana had no answer for Danny Wolf
Michigan junior Danny Wolf is one of the toughest matchups in the country because of his size and versatility.
On Saturday, he was the best player on the floor in Assembly Hall.
The Yale transfer finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists and a blocked shot in 35 minutes. When Michigan needed a key play down the stretch, Wolf made it.
He converted a layup and was fouled with Michigan clinging to a two-point lead with 1:25 left. Wolf made the free throw, pushing the lead to five at 66-61.
And Wolf made four free throws in the final 11 seconds to clinch the win for the Wolverines, their 10th in Big Ten play.
The Hoosiers could be fighting just to make the Big Ten tournament
With losses in seven of its last eight games, Indiana is now firmly in the bottom half of the Big Ten standings.
The Hoosiers still have some breathing room above the bottom three in the Big Ten, but the schedule doesn’t get any easier from here.
Indiana is an underdog in five of its last seven games, according to KenPom. The next three games: at Michigan State and then UCLA and Purdue in Bloomington.
With eight Big Ten losses, Indiana is just one game in the loss column ahead of conference cellar dwellers Penn State and Washington, who each have nine losses.
There’s a logjam of teams with eight losses, but the Hoosiers have work to do to make the 15-team Big Ten tournament next month in Indianapolis.
Filed to: Michigan Wolverines
