Coming off a blowout win over Maryland earlier this week, the Michigan men’s basketball team had a chance to get back to .500 in Big Ten play on Sunday afternoon for the first time since Jan. 4.
The Wolverines took advantage of it, thrashing Indiana, 80-62, at Assembly Hall. In a battle of coaches who recently returned to their alma mater, Michigan raced out to a 16-point first-half lead in Bloomington. The lead ultimately dwindled to six, but the Wolverines rebounded to extend it in dominant fashion.
The Maize and Blue Review breaks down three takeaways from Michigan’s third conference win:
Momentum-building victory in a hostile environment
Just three days ago, Indiana students stormed the court at Assembly Hall after the Hoosiers upset No. 4 Purdue. The win kept Indiana’s unblemished home record intact, pushing it to 12-0 in the process.
That is, until the Wolverines left with a convincing win on Sunday.
Despite entering as a four-point underdog, Michigan led from the outset to the final buzzer. The Wolverines handled the hostile environment well and put together one of their best all-around performances of the season. With a home game against Northwestern coming up on Wednesday, Michigan has a chance to turn its hot stretch into a three-game winning streak before traveling to East Lansing next weekend.
A victory over the Spartans next weekend would give the Wolverines, who finished non-conference play without a signature win, a big resumé boost. With ample momentum after encouraging performances against Maryland and Indiana, it’s certainly possible Michigan is finding its rhythm.
Houstan continues to turn the corner
After posting 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting against the Terps, it appeared five-star freshman Caleb Houstan was approaching an inflection point. The efficient night marked the end of a shooting slump that saw him miss 19 of his 21 3-point attempts over a five-game stretch, raising the question of whether the Canadian product would continue his improvement trend against the Hoosiers.
Houstan squandered any doubts in a big way.
He scored 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including a career-high five 3-pointers from beyond the arc. His emergence as a shooter has forced defenses to commit to guarding him on the perimeter, opening the interior for Michigan big men Hunter Dickinson and Moussa Diabate. Dickinson finished with a game-high 25 on 9-for-12 shooting, often taking advantage of one-on-one matchups made possible by the success of Houstan and the Wolverines’ other outside shooting threats.
Bench contributions keep Wolverines afloat in first half
Depth hasn’t been one of Michigan’s strong suits so far this season, but you wouldn’t have guessed that after Sunday’s performance.
Houstan (19 points) and Dickinson (25) led the way for the Wolverines’ offense against Indiana, but it was Terrance Williams II and Brandon Johns Jr. who kept the team afloat at the end of the first half. As the Hoosiers cut Michigan’s 16-point lead to six, Williams and Johns prevented the Wolverines from losing their advantage altogether.
The duo combined to score Michigan’s final 15 points of the opening half as the starters struggled from the field. The Wolverines didn’t get any points out of their bench in the second half, but they didn’t need any.
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