Indiana Hoosiers Fall Short at Michigan

Mar 8, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Caris LeVert (23) moves the ball on Indiana Hoosiers forward Noah Vonleh (1) in the first half at Crisler Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Hoosiers ended the regular season Saturday night with a loss. IU couldn’t keep up in the second half with No. 12 Michigan ultimately falling 84-80.

The Hoosiers led for the vast majority of the first half, even holding a 10 point lead at one point. IU held a six point lead by halftime.

But as we have seen so many times before, the Hoosiers fell apart out of the break. Michigan quickly tied the game up and reclaimed the lead. IU fought valiantly and kept the game close over the final 10 minutes.

The offense became stagnant in the second half as problems that have plagued them all season arose once again. A lack of ball movement, too much dribbling, and players simply standing around would doom this team to another loss.

The first half was inspired. The offense was fluid, and the Hoosiers opened to a hot start hitting their first nine shots. There were shades of the top ranked offense from last season at the Crisler Center this evening.

In the final regular season game of his career, Will Sheehey led the team with 17 points. He was 7-for-12 from the field, but also turned the ball over four times.

Troy Williams put together another fine game scoring 16 points off 8-of-9 shooting. He had a few rim rattling dunks that are sure to make the highlight reel as well.

Yogi Ferrell tied William’s effort with another 16 points. Ferrell also dished out eight assists but also turned the ball over four times. He continues to suffer from a lack of direction on offense often dribbling too much and not putting his teammates in the right position to succeed.

Turnovers were especially a problem in the second half. The starters combined to cough up the ball 12 times, and the team had 15 overall.

This was one of the better offensive performances from the Hoosiers. They shot 59-percent from the field, but couldn’t extend possession or force turnovers at the other end of the court.

Stanford Robinson had 13 points but only hit two field goals. He managed to get to the free throw line frequently and was 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Not bad for a career 55-percent free throw shooter.

Devin Davis continues to show flashes of being a great player. He was 4-for-4 for nine points and pulled down six rebounds.

The Hoosiers finally got Noah Vonleh back from his foot injury, but he was forced to come off the bench and play limited minutes. He had seven points, eight rebounds, and a pair of blocks.

Vonleh hit a three pointer late in the game to give the Hoosiers a shot and cut the Wolverines lead to two. But with just four seconds left to play, IU was forced to foul and Michigan made it a two score game.

Outside of Vonleh, the Hoosiers didn’t get much from the bench. Jeremy Hollowell had just two points, no one else scored. Overall, the bench was just 3-for-7.

Up next for the Hoosiers is the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis starting Thursday March 13th. Based on current seeding, IU will face Illinois, and should they win it will set up a rematch with Michigan.

We’ll have our tournament preview up early next week.

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