Hey folks,
It was a close thing tonight inside Assembly Hall, and probably one of the harder losses Hoosier fans will have had to take in the last few years, all things considered. The last two minutes plus overtime were especially odd, fraught with poor shot selection, missed free throws, odd turnovers and just about everything else you could cram into such a small window.
It was a hectic time, but if you'll allow me, I'll relive it a bit for you, this time with input from Tom Crean and others to help provide some insight -- method to the madness, if there was any.
To set the scene, the Hoosiers were up 57-51 at the two-minute mark after a layup by Tom Pritchard. Michigan hit two free throws at 1:22, and Devan Dumes answered with 57 seconds left to give IU a six-point lead under a minute.
Then things fell apart for the Hoosiers. Manny Harris hit a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left. The Wolverines pressed the ensuing possession, and IU broke it quickly, with Devan Dumes receiving the ball next to the Hoosier bench inside 40 seconds.
Instead of pulling the ball out to spend precious seconds in possession, Dumes went straight to the rim in a 2-on-1, took the ball himself and turned the ball over. Both Crean and Dumes expressed the sentiment after the game that Dumes deserved a foul call, but Crean said IU hasn't earned that kind of call from officials yet, and Dumes said had he grasped the situation more quickly, he would have pulled the ball out anyway.
"You don't want him to lose that aggressiveness," Crean said of Dumes' drive after the game, though he added: "You've got to pull that one out and make them chase us."
Laval Lucas-Perry hit a three to tie with 25 seconds remaining, and then IU began an oddly stilted possession in which it appeared no one really wanted the ball. Verdell Jones drove into the lane and Tom Crean called a timeout with seven seconds left, but there was nothing to show for the Hoosiers' trouble afterward.
Once the game got to overtime, the Hoosiers appeared too worn out and unaware of their surroundings, far less comfortable than they had been in regulation. They scored just seven points in five minutes, and missed 6-of-8 free throws on their way to defeat. Oddly enough, the Hoosiers shot four free throws in regulation -- all in the first half -- and hit every one.
Obviously, the loss rests on everyone's shoulders, and Crean pointed to a lack of defensive intensity and success in the second half as a culprit in giving up a 20-point lead. But make no mistake, the Hoosiers had plenty of chances to salt the game, they just couldn't/didn't take advantage.
The loss hurts, but the fact that we're talking about IU-Michigan as a should-have-won game in early January probably won't leave many fans crying.
So what do you think? Are you angry the Hoosiers couldn't hold the lead? Just proud of how they played? Willing to teach someone to shoot all free throws underhanded, a la Ollie in "Hoosiers"? Sound off as you bare.
