Michigan 69 Indiana 46: Three Keys | Final Box Score | Specialty Stats

Rapid reaction from an Indiana 69-46 loss to Michigan.

If you thought it couldn’t get worse at the start of games, you were wrong. A 17-0 Michigan run from the opening tip ensured that. The Hoosiers didn’t make their first basket from the field until there were 10 minutes left in the first half.

If you thought Indiana couldn’t possibly shoot the ball worse from the field, you were wrong. A season worst 27.6% from the field ensured that.

If you thought this season couldn’t get more bizarre, you were wrong. Public address announcer Chuck Crabb calling out the shot clock on the south end of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for the entire game ensured that.

At some point the losing streak is going to end. But if you thought it would be tonight, you were wrong. Indiana suffered its second worst loss ever at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, ensuring that the suffering will continue.

The Hoosiers (12-8, 3-6) return to action at Rutgers on Wednesday evening.

THREE KEYS TO THE GAME

1. A 17-0 start dooms IU. Stop me if you have heard this one before. There have been bad starts, and then there was tonight’s start. Against the No. 5 team in the country, the game was essentially over 10 minutes in. Indiana would get as close as nine in the second half, but Michigan always had an answer to avoid the big Hoosier run.

2. An Unbelievably bad shooting night. In the first half, IU was 20% from the field, 10% from behind the three point line, and 54% from the foul line. Things only got marginally better in the second half as IU finished at 28%, 15%, and 55%, respectively. That won’t win any games. Michigan is one of the best defensive teams in the country. That was surely part of the equation. The Wolverines were in front of everything and heavily contested any attempt to drive to the basket. But the shooting slump that IU is suffering through right now is beyond belief.

3. Half court offense continues to be a major problem. More than just shooting the ball, Indiana continues to get nothing from their offensive sets. That stat of the game — IU had just four assists for the entire contest. We’ll do the research, but that has to be a record, at least in games played at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.