Hoosiers Erase 17-Point Deficit, Stun Michigan in Tourney Opener
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Week after week, month after month and year after year, we have seen this well-worn Indiana basketball script before.
Down to Michigan by 17 points a third of the way through the second half of their opening game in the Big Ten Tournament, we know how this is supposed to turn out for a Hoosiers program that is far removed from its glory days.
We know, because we've seen it, we've lived it, we've agonized over it.
Down 17, this is a loss for Indiana. They just don't do miracle comebacks.
Until Thursday.
Spurred by an incredible defensive effort, the Hoosiers made a comeback for the ages at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, going on a 28-4 run over 11 minutes, and then closing it out to beat the Wolverines 74-69 in the second round
It was the Hoosiers' first win over Michigan in 10 tries, dating all the way back to 2016, and the second-biggest comeback in Big Ten Tournament history. (Ohio State came from 18 down to beat Nebraska in 2014).
And it was a career-defining win for Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, who put an emphatic stamp on what was, without question, the most important victory of his three-year college career. And he wasn't alone.
"Going into the halftime, having my teammates believe in me, that's big for us and that's way big for our team,'' Jackson-Davis said. "It's believing we can win and believing we have opportunities to succeed.''
Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis (left) and Hunter Dickinson battled all day, but it was Jackson-Davis who dominated in the second half and led the Hoosiers to victory. (USA TODAY Sports)
What was most stunning about the comeback was that you couldn't see it coming. Indiana wasn't good in the first half, trailing by 13 at the break. Jackson-Davis missed his first four shots and was getting completely outplayed by Michigan big man Hunter Dickinson.
Dickinson had 13 points in the first half, but only two in the second. Jackson-Davis, who had only five first-half points, scored 19 points in the second half and also had four blocked shots.
He was, without question, the best player on the floor.
On both ends
"The biggest thing for me is that in the locker room, Coach Woody got on me,'' Jackson-Davis said. "He told me I wasn't playing up to my capabilities, but then he said at the same time, basketball is two halves. So I went out there and I think it started on the defensive end, I was up, kind of getting in the passing lanes, the ball lanes, and then coming back. And then on offense, having (Johnson) coming off the screens, getting easy lobs, I think that got me going.''
During that 28-4 run, Indiana's defense was suffocating, forcing 10 second-half turnovers. Jackson-Davis and Jordan Geronimo did a great job of pushing Dickinson off the blocks, and the perimeter players made passes inside difficult. If someone did get in the lane, Jackson-Davis was there to swat away shot after shot.
Michigan's only points in that 11 minutes were four free throws by Eli Brooks.
That was it.
Indiana started having its way on the offensive end, too, during that run. It includes a Xavier Johnson three-pointer to get the run started, plus a jumper in the lane and two free throws. He also had seven second-half assists, after having none in the first half.
Jackson-Davis was the beneficiary, with many of them coming on lob passes off of pick-and rolls. He had 12 points in the run, five baskets at the rim and two free throws. Rob Phinisee had a basket, Miller Kopp hit a three and Jordan Geronimo, who got 12 second-half minutes, had two free throws, a couple of rebounds and two big blocks.
Indiana's Xavier Johnson had 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the Hoosiers' huge comeback victory, and was also a pest on defense. (USA TODAY Sports)
Indiana got to within one on the Kopp three-pointer with 6:13 to go, and went ahead for the first time in it was 7-4 when Jackson-Davis hit a pair of free throws to go ahead 63-62. Johnson made two free throws and then Jackson-Davis scored inside to put Indiana ahead by three. Johnson and Jackson-Davis each scored again, and suddenly the lead was seven at 71-64.
Michigan finally got untracked and got baskets from Devante' Jones and a three from Brooks with 44 seconds to go to cut the lead to two. Indiana milked the clock and Kopp missed a three, but after getting the rebound, Michigan forward Moussa Diabate threw the ball away. Johnson was fouled and made both free throws to ice it.
Johnson finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and has been spectacular in Indiana's last six games. And for a team that's struggled to close out games all year, they closed this one out in fine fashion.
"I feel like we've learned from our mistakes in the past,'' Johnson said. "We've been watching a lot of film. Credit to the coaches, watching a lot of film, learning from it, and just working on it and now we have the chance to go prove it, prove what we are working on.
"I just feel like we locked in during those last 12 minutes, Coach said we've got to get a stop, it's all about getting stops. We're scoring, we just can't get a stop. And everybody looked at each other, everybody held each other accountable for that man, and we just dug in and got stops.''
Woodson basically rode Jackson-Davis, Johnson, Kopp and sophomores Trey Galloway and Jordan Geronimo throughout the run. The energy that Galloway — who was questionable to even play after missing five games with a groin injury — and Geronimo provides made a huge difference.
"JG, he's an energy guy. He's someone that's going to come in and get rebounds,'' Jackson-Davis said. "I saw him when I was going up to get some of them, he was a whole head above me, so he's huge for us. He blocks shots, and then he's a positive influence on the floor.
"And then, Trey coming off ball screens hard, making the right plays. He struggled a little bit, but he kept his head up and just keep playing because he had to play through his mistakes. But I thought both their contributions really helped us and really got us the win, honestly.''
With the win, the Hoosiers are 19-12 now and likely have done enough to earn an NCAA Tournament berth, something that's been lacking in the program for six years now.
"The only thing I can say is that if you look at our schedule and how we've competed this year, I would like to think that this game would put us over the top,'' Woodson said. "But like I told the guys in the locker room, I don't know how it works. I'm new at this, but we got to get ready for Illinois and see if we can play like we did tonight the second half and see if we can get another win that might secure us for the big dance.
"I don't know how the selection committee works, but I've just got to tell our guys we're still playing and we've still got to play hard and try to win.''
Thursday's win was sweet revenge because Michigan, who's 17-14 now and has their own NCAA bubble concerns, beat them soundly 80-62 in Bloomington in late January. And they've been whipping the Hoosiers for going on six years now.
No. 1 seed Illinois is Friday's opponent now, and they beat Indiana in Bloomington, too. The game is at 11:30 a.m. ET, the first of four quarterfinal games on Friday.
"I've never played on Friday (in the Big Ten Tournament),'' Jackson-Davis said. "For me, it's just the next game on our schedule and we play a really good Illinois team, but I've never played on Friday, so it's a new experience for me. I hope I see a lot of fans in the stadium and we're going to go out and compete.''
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- LIVE BLOG: Relive all of the play-by-play in real time in Indiana's dramatic 74-69 comeback victory over Michigan on Thursday. CLICK HERE
- PHOTO GALLERY: Peek inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 30 photos from Indiana's 74-69 win over Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday afternoon. CLICK HERE
- TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: Indiana and Iowa claimed second-round victories on Thursday afternoon, advancing to Friday's quarterfinals. Here is the updated Big Ten Tournament schedule, with gametimes, TV and more. CLICK HERE
