Michigan collapse vs. IU latest head scratching moment for 2021-22 squad

From 17 up with 11:06 remaining to losing a lead in under five and a half minutes — if you didn’t see Indiana’s furious comeback against Michigan, you probably wouldn’t have believed it possible. 

RELATED: Michigan chokes away big lead, possibly tourney berth, in 74-69 loss to IU

But it was as spectacularly bad as it sounds, and the result — a 74-69 loss to a mediocre at best Hoosiers team — was stunning in the way it played out. 

The loss itself, though, wasn’t a surprise. This team has been wildly inconsistent all season, and a 28-4 opponent run is the latest head shaking event for a team that has talent and pieces but can’t seem to figure it all out. 

Flat out, they panicked when things started to go south, and the coaching staff had no answers to stop the bleeding.

“It starts with me” head coach Juwan Howard, coaching his first game back after a five-game suspension, said. “I take full accountability. I’ll never be the one that’s going to deflect or point the finger. It starts with me here … 

“I’m sure it’s going to be tonight, but I’m going to watch film and there’s going to be a lot of moments where I have a lot of disturbance in my sleep because I’m going to be playing every play after every play on how I could have done better putting them in a position — what I could have done better to secure this victory for us. What did I do wrong, you know? I’m going to look at myself in the mirror first.”

The meltdown started when he replaced three starters in a one-minute span, including point guard DeVante’ Jones. But Jones came back in after they gave seven points away in just about a minute.

With 11:06 remaining, in fact, the ESPN win probability had Michigan at 98.5 percent to close with a win. 

But the Wolverines found a new way to lose, and now they’re likely back on the NCAA Tournament bubble and perhaps facing a play-in game in Dayton. Unless they do something they haven’t been able to do in several weeks — string a few wins together and make a little run in the postseason — this season will go down as a major disappointment. 

Feb. 8 and 10, victories at Penn State and home to Purdue, was the last time Michigan put two wins together. That was nearly a month ago.

And it’s tough to believe.

Still, it’s not so much failing to live up to lofty preseason expectations that were rather unrealistic, frankly. The Wolverines lost some outstanding players, including one in Franz Wagner who might be the NBA Rookie of the Year. The young replacements are still learning and still inconsistent. 

One, forward Moussa Diabate, is still learning the game of basketball. He’s a residual player, yet they continue to force feed him at times or put him in positions to make plays he simply can’t. His jump shot is almost like a turnover at this point. 

Frosh Caleb Houstan made three key triples in the second half and stepped up, but Jones then struggled down the stretch. He turned it over three times — Michigan had 10 in the second half — and fifth-year senior Eli Brooks couldn’t handle it, either. It was blocked shots, shot clock violations or turnovers for much of the rest of the game, and only nine points in the last 12:52. 

“The game was changed with their aggressiveness,” Howard said. “They came out early in the second half, which we talked about at halftime, knowing and expecting that this team was going to, first, not quit. But secondly, of course, be more aggressive, whether they were trying to score in the paint … we talked about taking away the drive, or they were trying to shoot open shots. We talked about contesting every shot without fouling.”

He gave the Hoosiers, especially big man Trayce Jackson-Davis (24 points) credit, but also lamented his team’s defense. 

“I thought at times we were not as aggressive enough defensively where we could have taken away some of those easy buckets by him,” the Michigan coach continued. “And also in the second half, our turnovers, every time we turned the ball over, they got opportunities to score off that.

“Second half, defensive breakdowns allowed the team to shoot 55.6 percent, when we held them to 37.9 percent in the first half. Those are teachable moments where we’ll go back as a team, regroup, watch film and take accountability of it.”

They’re 31 games in now, though, and running out of time to learn from it.

 Many still believe they’ll make the field of 68, but a few more upsets could hinder their chances. Howard hopes he’ll get a chance to coach them in the NCAAs, but even he’s not sure at this point.

“I’m not in charge of the selection committee, but I would say this — our guys put themselves in the position to have an opportunity,” Howard said. “And I’m going to pray. Prayer warriors are going to be open. I’m going to wait on Sunday with my players and see where the chips fall at the end. 

“But at the end of the day, whatever is decided, I’m still proud of how this team, coaches, the Michigan family has been together … our family was challenged throughout the year, and I love how we have been able to stay connected through those times.”

It’s not over yet. But unless they come up with some formula we haven’t seen yet, the season will be over soon, whether they make the tournament or not.