Struggling Indiana Fights Back, But Comes Up Short in 70-67 Loss to Michigan

Indiana erased a 17-point second-half deficit but couldn't close out No. 24 Michigan in the final minutes, losing 70-67. The Hoosiers, losers of five straight and seven of eight, were playing their first game after it was announced that coach Mike Woodson would not be returning as their coach next year.

Michigan center Danny Wolf (1) goes to the basket against Indiana's Malik Reneau (5) during the first half on Saturday. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana, a team left for dead this week, showed plenty of life in the second half Saturday against Michigan. The feisty Hoosiers erased a 17-point deficit, but couldn't finish off the comeback and lost 70-67 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

The result was more of the same for the Hoosiers, who have now lost five straight and seven of their last eight games. This one, in front of a national TV audience, came just one day after the school announced that coach Mike Woodson would not return next season.

All losses hurt. This one hurt a little more.

Well, a lot more.

"I think our guys have wonderful intentions, man, and they do want to win. But it hasn't worked the last three, four weeks for our ball club,'' said Woodson, who only talked about the game in his postgame press conference and didn't address the school's release that he would not be returning for a fifth season at his alma mater in 2025-26.

"But tonight I went with guys, basically senior guys, to try to win this game the second half. And I thought they played like seniors. We just fell a little short.''

Much like Tuesday night at Wisconsin, the Hoosiers got off to another brutal start. Michigan made six of its first seven shots — including three three-pointers — and had a double-digit lead (16-5) in the first five minutes. This came just four days after the Badgers embarrassed the Hoosiers with a 26-4 start.

But then the Hoosiers, who could have just folded up their tents, responded with an 11-0 run of their own to tie the game. That initial burst was short-lived, though. Michigan went on a 16-1 run and led 43-27 at the break, with boos being rained down on the Hoosiers as they headed to the locker room.

Michigan led 49-32 at the 17:18 mark in the second half, and Assembly Hall had a lifeless, funereal feel to it. Then something completely unexpected happened.

The Hoosiers came back to life. Shockingly, and stunningly.

Indiana's defensive intensity picked up, and it allowed them to chip away at the Michigan lead. Indiana went on a 20-4 run over the next eight minutes, with the Wolverines making just 2-of-13 shots. With 4:03 left, Luke Goode made two free throws to tie the game at 59-59.

Indiana has struggled to close out tight games all year, with recent losses to Maryland and Purdue the most memorable. Add this loss to the list, because they simply could not get a stop down the stretch, and they struggled to get good looks offensively.

Michigan 7-footer Vladislav Golden, who came to Michgan from Florida Atlantic with first-year coach Dusty May, dunked at the 3:05 mark to put the Wolverines ahead 61-59. Running clock and then attacking the rim, Michigan got layups from Tre Donaldson and Danny Wolf, who was also fouled and made a free throw to give Michigan a 66-61 lead with 1:25 to go.

Malik Reneau, who led the Hoosiers with 16 points, scored to make it 66-63, Wolf missed a fadeaway jumper at the end of the shot clock and Mackenzie Mgbako, who had 15 second-half points and 11 rebounds on the day, grabbed the board. Indiana called timeout and ran a play for Mgbako, who got a good look at a three from the top of the key, but it rattled off.

Indiana fouled Donaldson, but he missed the front end of the one-and-one. Trey Galloway, who played the entire second half along with Mgbako and Anthony Leal, made the first free throw but missed the second.

Indiana was forced to foul and Wolf made four straight free throws around a Reneau miss from three. The last pair gave Michigan, a 3.5-point favorite, a 70-64 lead.

Leal's heave at the buzzer from beyond halfcourt was reminiscent of every pregame the past five years. Before the Hoosiers head off to the lockder room, Leal and another have hoisted half-court shots. This one was all net, and he finished with 12 points.

It was Leal's first double-figures game since Jan. 30, 2024 when he scored 13 in a win over Iowa. It's only the second time in five years at Indiana that he's scored in double figures. Woodson stuck with Leal, Galloway, Mgbako, Reneau and Goode for most of the second half.

Starting point guard Myles Rice, who was a minus-13 in the first half and scored only two points, didn't play at all in the second half. Oumar Ballo, who was awful in the first half (minus-19) only played six minutes in the second half.

"We've been riding with them,'' Woodson said of his senior group. "It's not like they've been sitting there next to me; they've been playing. We've just got to get other pieces in play to join in and help them.

"I mean, tonight we were competitive coming down the stretch and getting back into the ballgame. If we can bottle that up, along with how we played at Purdue and the Maryland game here at home, hopefully something will click for our team and we can get off this slide.''

No. 24 Michigan is now 18-5 overall and 10-2 in the Big Ten, just a half game behind Purdue for the Big Ten lead. Indiana is 14-10 and 5-8 in league play. The Hoosiers are back in action on Tuesday night at Michigan State, where it won't get any easier.

The Hoosiers have seven games left and need to finish in the top 15 in the Big Ten just to get invited to the conference tournament. That's a new wrinkly with the 18-team league. As Woodson said, they need to start winning games,.

But that won't be easy. Their next three games are at No. 9 Michigan State, followed by home games against UCLA, who's been ranked most of the year, and No. 7. Purdue. They finish with home games at Penn State and Ohio State and a West Coast trip to Washington and Oregon.

"Well, it's been emotional. We're dealing with young men, young kids that's trying to figure it out,'' Woodson said of the losing streak and all that's gone on in the past few days. "But we've still got seven more games to play. And it's my job as their coach to try to push them to realize that they can still win basketball games.''