Michigan didn’t play its best game in a 73-57 victory at Indiana, but the Wolverines were never really challenged in the last 25 minutes. Sophomore Franz Wagner scored 21 points and Isaiah Livers 15 to pace U-M, but it was the defense that did it again for U-M.

The Hoosiers made some shots early but finished only 38.5 percent overall, 26.7 from long range. Big man Trayce Jackson-Davis, a 21-PPG scorer, went only 3-for-12 from the floor in struggling with freshman center Hunter Dickinson’s length at the rim.

“I was disappointed in the outcome, but Michigan is a terrific team and they have a lot of answers on the floor,” Indiana head coach Archie Miller said. “They have tremendous size inside on offense and also inside on defense. It’s very difficult to stay in rhythm on offense because of their ability to switch, and they’re so big at the three, four and five. They really protect the rim.”

There were times in the second half they were lucky to score, Miller admitted. He was quick to note Jackson-Davis isn’t the only player this year to have struggled with the Wolverines’ size inside.

“In this one, he had some looks early in the game that were tough shots against huge size. Sometimes him not being able to make a couple early slows us down,” Miller continued. “He usually picks it up a little bit and keeps it going throughout the course of the game. Today was a hard one, but I watched the Iowa game the other day at length and saw the leading scorer in the country [Luka Garza] have a very difficult time scoring in that one, as well.

“There’s a reason I think Michigan is championship good, and I think a lot of people will talk about their skill level, their versatility and their ball movement, how hard they are to guard. I think they are one of the most difficult teams to play against on the other end of the floor. Between Wagner, Livers and big Hunter [Dickinson, 13 points], you’re looking at 6 10, 9, 7-2 across the board. With Livers’ and Wagner’s ability to switch, things are very difficult across the board.”

On the other end, Miller noted, his team is tops in the conference in free throw shooting but was out-shot 18 to nine in the first stanza. Michigan made 16 of them, making a huge impact on the game. He credited U-M’s size and the fact that they were more aggressive, while his team was undisciplined with some reach-in fouls.

It was ‘pick your poison’ in the second half. His guys doubled Dickinson early, allowing Livers to step out and hit some triples.

“Livers banged two threes right away, and they just keep coming. As you watch Michigan, you may hang around for a while, but they have the ability to sustain it throughout the course of the game and they play extremely hard,” Miller said. “For us, we only had 57 and a big part of that was their ability to protect the rim. We had a hard time at the rim. Trayce was 3 for 12, Race [Thompson] 3 for 5.

He lamented the lack of rebounding for a stretch in the second half; otherwise, he said, he thought his team competed pretty well.

“I thought our attitude was good, and today we ran in a good team … I don’t know if some of the shots are any more challengeable at times,” Miller said. “Sometimes you’re playing against terrific players and they make shots …

“I thought today they mixed up defenses and tried to take us out of our rhythm in sets and made us play the game. When we got Trayce on the run, he was able to get some pick and roll game, more face up opportunities and was better at attacking the basket. But it’s tough to score with low post, back to the basket moves consistently against that type of size inside. Austin Davis does a good job too when they bring him in. He’s very underrated.”

While they’re extremely talented on both ends, Miller said, it’s their ‘spirit’ that really makes them special.

“They deserve whatever you want to use for accolades, praise. They deserve it all,” he said. “But first and foremost, regardless how they play on offense and defense, they have a great spirit about them. That’s the one thing you probably have to look at Michigan and how they vibe and play on both ends of the floor. They get after you, play hard for one another, have a great bounce to them. They jell very well together; that’s a big part of what they’re doing.

“… To me, they’re complete. As they approach it here to finish, 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 in our league, if you do what they’re doing, you’re the real deal.”

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