In what seemed to be a must-win game for Indiana’s March Madness hopes, the Hoosiers erased a 17-point deficit in the second half to defeat Michigan, 74-69, and move on to the Big Ten quarterfinals.
The Wolverines came out of the gate strong, opening up a 15-point lead in the first half and entering halftime up 41–28. The second half started similar to the first, and Michigan’s lead reached 17 with 12 minutes remaining in the game.
However, Indiana fought back, executing a 20–2 run over the next six minutes of game time to take a 63–62 lead. The momentum didn’t stop there, as Indiana completed a 28–4 run by the time it was over. Michigan went without a field goal for more than 11 minutes during that stretch.
The Hoosiers only had two double-digit scorers, with Trayce Jackson-Davis dropping 24 points and Xavier Johnson adding 17 of his own.
Indiana entered the game on the bubble. SI’s Kevin Sweeney had them as one of his First Four Out, but the victory should slide them into the field for now. Their next game will be Friday morning vs. Illinois in the Big Ten quarterfinals.
On the other hand, the loss is tough for Michigan, who Sweeney had as a No. 9 seed before the game. This was also Juwan Howard’s first game back from suspension after striking a Wisconsin assistant.
The Wolverines strong finish to the regular season should be enough to keep them in the field, though.
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