Rapid reaction observations after a Michigan OT loss at Indiana 

Michigan entered a road game at Indiana with sole possession of second place on the line after Nebraska’s upset of Iowa. A loss meant either a 5 seed or an 8 seed … and it will be one of the latter.

The Wolverines faded down the stretch and in overtime again … rapid reaction observations following the 75-73 setback.

• Michigan actually had redshirt frosh Will Tschetter start again and to handle the tip … and he won it, something Hunter Dickinson hasn’t done much this year. Big man Trayce Jackson-Davis dominated early for the Hoosiers … and so did IU, running out to an early 7-3 lead. 

The Wolverines got good looks, including two wide-open triples from frosh Dug McDaniel, but couldn’t connect. The Wolverines also picked up three fouls in the first 3:40. 

• U-M forced the action twice on drives to the hoop by McDaniel and frosh Jett Howard that ended in turnovers. McDaniel does a lot of things well, but finishing at the rim in traffic isn’t one of them. 

The Wolverines made only 2 of their first 8 shots, including 1 of 5 triples, but still trailed only 9-6 at 14:12 after a Jett Howard free throw. But Howard had an inexplicable turnover on an attempted backdoor pass and jogged back to the other end while IU scored in transition to cap a 4-0 run. Just not acceptable. 

• Sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin didn’t get his first shot until about 11:15 … a missed triple. 

• Michigan missed 5 shots in a row and had only 10 points with 9:01 remaining in the half. Among the misses … another stepback jumper off one foot from junior Terrance Williams. He loves the shot … he takes the shot … he just doesn’t make it very much. 

The Wolverines went 3:30 without a point. 

• Michigan had 11 points with 7:42 remaining in the stanza, no field goals in 4:47. Jett Howard was the focal point of the offense but was only 1-for-4 (all triples) with 2 turnovers. Bufkin had only 2 shots at that point. 

Indiana, meanwhile, missed open look after open look from three to allow Michigan to stay within 8. Williams’ airball from the corner made U-M 1-for-9 from long range.

• No backside help and more defense for Michigan. Galloway scored inside without anybody to contest and forced a U-M timeout down 25-13. The Wolverines were in danger of getting run out of the building.

• Down 27-13, they finally put the ball in Bufkin’s hands. He scored four straight to cut the lead to 10 and force an Indiana timeout. 

Flat out, Bufkin should be this Michigan team’s No. 1 or 2 option. 

• Twice Indiana guard Jalen Hood-Schifino used screens to get easy, uncontested jump shots. Still, the Wolverines made 4 straight to cut it to 29-22 after a Dickinson triple. Dickinson and-one on a great pass from McDaniel cut it to 29-25, and somehow the Wolverines were right back in it despite shooting only 2-for-11 from three-point range. 

A Dickinson steal and Howard dunk in transition made it 29-27 at the break. The Wolverines were fortunate … IU was 1-of-9 from three-point range, and most of the looks were wide open. 

Michigan led for 57 seconds in the first half, but never quit. 

• Indiana continuously overplayed Bufkin’s left hand, but he used a righty spin to open the scoring in the second half with a midrange jumper. A Jett Howard triple in transition gave Michigan its first lead since Howard’s three to open the game.

• Tschetter started the second half … and it seemed like a questionable move. But his offensive rebound and free throws after a foul gave Michigan a 40-34 lead. Dickinson in transition made it 42-34. Michigan was finally heating up from long range, with triples from Howard and Bufkin.

When Howard is square and playing within the offense, he’s deadly. 

• Michigan mixes it up and goes zone, and it works. The Wolverines get two stops, a bucket inside from Dickinson and another triple from Howard and goes up 9. McDaniel’s triple at 13:40 gave Michigan its biggest lead at 12. 

• The whistles started going Indiana’s way, including a questionable and-one foul on Tschetter when he took an elbow to the face from Jackson-Davis. Still, Michigan led 54-45 at 11:27 and should have had the ball … but they ruled a ball out of bounds off Jett Howard when he wasn’t close to it. 

Indiana cut it to 7 with two Jackson-Davis free throws.

• McDaniel quiets the crowd with a triple off a screen to push the lead back to 10. Onions. 

• Indiana wasn’t going quietly. Michigan started to double Jackson-Davis, and IU’s Miller Kopp finally capitalized on a three, his first in 5 attempts, to cut the lead to 6. Michigan had the ball and the lead, however, with 7:35 remaining at the TV timeout. But Tarris Reed’s free throws issues continued to plague him. He missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Race Thompson scored over him to cut it to 4.

• Just like that, the lead is gone. Indiana goes on an 8-0 run. Dickinson ends it with an offensive rebound finish, and-one. Shooting guard Trey Galloway fouls out on the play with 6:11 remaining … a huge play to stop the downhill momentum.

• Michigan continues to double Jackson-Davis in the post, and continues to pay for it. Tamar Bates nails another triple — IU’s third in three attempts — to cut it back to one. The Wolverines still led by 3, 65-62, and had the ball at the last TV timeout with 3:55 remaining.

Michigan has 38 points in the half at this point, very good offensively.

• Tschetter misses the front end and Michigan loses track of the shot clock on an offensive rebound and turns it over … only the second of the half, but terribly costly. Jackson-Davis cuts it to one inside. Michigan turns it over again at 3:03. Jackson-Davis gives IU the lead.

• Wolverines go three minutes without a point, missing 9 of 11 field goals, before Bufkin hits two free throws to give Michigan the lead back.

• Jackson-Davis missed the front end of a 1-and-1 at 1:33. Dickinson scores inside to put Michigan up 3 at 1:15. The Wolverines let Hood-Schifino get off a three, and he ties it.

• Michigan has the ball with 13 seconds remaining and can’t get a good look — a contested triple for Dickinson after Jett Howard dribbles the air out of it. No touch for Bufkin … you have to take that ball downhill.

We’ll go to overtime.

• Michigan looks out of sorts offensively, and Indiana takes control early in OT. Thompson inside and Jackson-Davis free throws make it a four-point game at 2:54 and U-M is in trouble. It’s a 6-point game when Kopp hits a jumper at 2:21.

Michigan finally scores at 1:58 on a Dickinson triple and Indiana won’t score again for thew next 2:17 … but it’s enough to win.

McDaniel is told to miss the second free throw on purpose down two with 6 seconds remaining. He does, and IU rebounds. Thompson misses a free throw, Bufkin loses the ball after a rebound, and Michigan loses another tight one, 75-73.

The Wolverines scored 14 points in the last 14 minutes.

• This team is good enough to be in the NCAA Tournament, but very likely won’t be … and shouldn’t be barring a miracle in the Big Ten Tournament. They’ll play the winner of Wisconsin and Ohio State as the 5 seed if Rutgers beats Northwestern tonight, or Rutgers as the No. 8 seed if the Wildcats win.

Either way, a terribly disappointing ending to a disappointing regular season for the Wolverines.