Head coach Archie Miller’s hands left his hips for a second as he signaled to the referee for a timeout before returning to their resting position while he stood rooted to the spot, staring at IU’s basket.
The Hoosiers had three chances to end the Wolverines’ possession with 11-and--a-half minutes remaining in the second half Saturday Saturday. But after each Michigan miss, sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was out-hustled to the loose ball, ultimately ending in senior forward Isaiah Livers finishing the putback dunk over the top of him.
Sometimes there’s no quick adjustment that can be made on the court. There’s no matchup change that will patch the hole in the defense and open up room on offense. Sometimes one side is just flat out better.
That’s what it was like in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall as IU fell to No. 3 Michigan 73-57 Saturday afternoon.
“Yeah, they're complete,” Miller said. “They have a great opportunity to go as far as anybody in the country. I haven’t seen some of the other teams, but I know within our league, if you do what they’re doing, you’re the real deal.”
IU can be a one-dimensional team at times, needing Jackson-Davis to carry it to be competitive against the top teams in the Big Ten. Against the Wolverines, the Karl Malone Award finalist — given to the nation’s top power forward — was a non-factor. Jackson-Davis finished with just 10-points, tying a season-low, and managed to grab only four rebounds.
Miller said a large reason for Jackson-Davis’ struggles was due to Michigan’s size and its ability to switch the two through five positions, taking IU out of its rhythm. Jackson-Davis struggled to match the Wolverines’ physicality in the low-post — especially that of freshman forward Hunter Dickinson — as he went just 3-for-12 from the field.
On defense, IU looked lost.
The Hoosiers spent a large portion of the second half chasing blown assignments and closing out late to wide-open shooters. IU consistently lost Livers beyond the arc — who is shooting 44.8% from 3-point range this season — allowing him to make 4-of-7 3-pointers.
“I think our 3-point field goal percentage defense has really suffered,” Miller said. “If you're not able to guard the ball, if you're not able to rebound effectively and your help is late and you're not you're not where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there, you're going to break down.”
But while the Wolverines are one of the best teams in the country, it’s not just a talent gap that allowed them to roll over the Hoosiers.
IU has talent. Jackson-Davis will likely be an All-American, and it brought in three-straight Indiana Mr. Basketball award winners — a program record. What the Hoosiers are missing is the discipline, effort and leadership needed to be in the top tier of the Big Ten.
IU committed 11 first half fouls, leading to 18 Michigan free throws. The Hoosiers were outrebounded 37-to-27, a measurement largely of effort. And they were outcoached by Juwan Howard.
In the second half after a kickball violation by Michigan, Howard turned to his bench and started teaching as a defensive sequence played out behind him. He acted out how — instead of moving his lower-body and legs to get in front of a pocket-pass — to bend down and scoop with his hand to get a deflection and steal. Something rarely seen by Miller on the IU sideline.
“There’s always teaching moments,” Howard said. “We have to collaborate if we want to have a year, in a culture of winning. And that’s what it’s all about. We’re gonna make mistakes: They’re gonna make mistakes, I’m gonna make mistakes, but every moment is going to be a teaching moment for players and coaches.”
