IU’s season began on a high note with a four-point victory in November against then-No. 2 Kansas in Hawaii.
A few months later, the Hoosiers have found themselves fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives.
In what could be the most important game of its season, IU did not lead for a single second, and it fell to Michigan 75-63 on Sunday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
After taking both Wisconsin and Purdue to the brink in the past week but faltering late in each game, IU allowed Michigan to control the entire game.
Without sophomore forward OG Anunoby, IU has dropped five of seven games and its season has gone into a tailspin.
IU Coach Tom Crean talked about how immaturity and the lack of consistent leadership this season has hurt IU without Anunoby on the court.
“We don’t play both ends of the floor with the same purpose that we have to play when our shots aren’t going,” Crean said. “And we’ve had injuries in there, too, but that’s got to change.”
With IU’s season dangling by a thread, junior guards Rob Johnson and James Blackmon Jr. combined to shoot four-of-14 against Michigan.
Johnson said he knows every one of IU’s guards need to step up and become better leaders.
“I just think a lack of consistency,” Johnson said of the recent troubles. “Like I said earlier, it all falls on the upperclassmen — me, James and the guys that have been here. We have to come with a consistent level of effort.”
Since Anunoby went down, IU has not been able to put together a consistent effort on both ends of the court.
Michigan won the first matchup between these two teams by 30 points back in January. Though Sunday’s game wasn’t as much of a blowout, it was still hardly in doubt.
Michigan never let IU cut the deficit to less than six in the second half, due in large part to several timely offensive bursts in response to small runs by IU.
Coming into the game, Crean said Michigan’s senior point guard Derrick Walton Jr. was playing with confidence.
That confidence was on full display as Walton eviscerated IU’s defense. He scored 25 points to go along with four assists. Walton shot 7-of-13, consistently got to the rim and scored with ease.
“At the end of the day, our ball screen coverages were not nearly what they needed to be,” Crean said. “And we didn’t put enough pressure on the shooters.”
Michigan has one of the best three-point shooting attacks in the country and bombed away in the first half, making six threes.
“It makes no sense to be coming off the corners the way that we are with what we have out there,” Crean said. “That’s not what we do. We guard the ball. We don’t over-help because it’s teams like Michigan that can shoot the ball so well.”
With IU’s offense faltering and its defense continuing to struggle, the team is headed on the road for four out of its next five to finish the season.
Crean said he wasn’t focused on anything beyond taking it one game at a time. After the game, he said he was headed back to the drawing board.
“I’m not going to think much past today,” Crean said. “I appreciate the question but I’m kind of locked in what we have to do now. I can’t jump ahead.”
