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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In the outset of Sunday’s game between Indiana and Michigan, though the Wolverines got out to an early lead, the Hoosiers hung tough, looking like it was going to be a long slog of a matchup between the two Big Ten East foes.
But, the maize and blue’s offense was unstoppable, as was their rebounding, and the crimson and white fell, 89-65.
Afterwards, Indiana head coach Archie Miller didn’t mince words, didn’t look for silver linings. He immediately sat down on the dais and credited Michigan for dominating the Bloomington-based squad.
“Disappointing game for our team,” Miller said. “It’s not that you lose, it’s how you lose and we got completely dominated today. Especially late, midway though the second-half. You look at the rebounding total in the game, you look at their free throw attempts in the game, assists-to-turnover — no answer for them defensively. And then couldn’t compete with them long enough to hang in.”
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But he continued, and went further than that.
Yes, Michigan fans are well aware of how much different the Wolverines are with Isaiah Livers in the lineup. After a tough January, which saw the team from Ann Arbor lose four-straight for the first time in years, once Livers came back a few games ago, Michigan, once again, looked like the team it was when it handed Gonzaga its only loss of the season in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
Miller sees the same deal, his team running into a buzzsaw with Livers back in the fold. As he figures, with a healthy Michigan starting five on the court, the Wolverines are among the best teams in college basketball.
“Give them credit, obviously they’re a very, very good team,” Miller said. “Especially now that they have Isaiah Livers back to the table — they’re one of the best teams in the country. Very, very tough to guard the way they shoot it, the way they spread you out.”
This was the only regular season matchup between the Wolverines and Hoosiers, though they certainly could meet up again in either the Big Ten Tournament or in the NCAA Tournament next month.
With the Indiana loss and Michigan’s win, both teams are now 16-9 on the season overall. The Hoosiers have now lost 7 straight to the Wolverines in basketball, going back to Tom Crean’s tenure leading the team.