E-mail 
Print | PHOTOS | ||||||||
|
||||||||
| MORE INFORMATION | ||||||||
Online
For more on college athletics, follow Pete DiPrimio via Twitter at pdiprimio. |
||||||||
| MORE ARTICLES | ||||||||
| » More | ||||||||
| DISCUSS | ||||||||
|
||||||||
Indiana won its first outright Big Ten title since 1993 with its 72-71 victory at Michigan Sunday night.
Here are some of the keys to the victory:
IU had a 53-30 edge for the game, including 24 offensive boards. They almost had as many offensive rebounds as Michigan had baskets (27).
Indiana got extremely physical inside. Cody Zeller was particularly assertive in getting Mitch McGary and Jordan Morgan in foul trouble. The Hoosiers were relentless when it mattered most.
The bench struggled offensively in the first half (0 points, 0 assists, 0-for-8 shooting), but really picked it up in the second half. Will Sheehey had 10 points. Jeremy Hollowell had five. They combined for eight straight points in a crucial second-half stretch.
IU struggled to shoot 35.1 percent in the first half, in part because it missed 14 layups. In the second half it was 17-for-33,mostly because it got the ball to Zeller, who was 6-for-10 in the second half.
IU trailed by five with 52 seconds left on the road against a team that hadn't lost at home all season. It found a way to win. It showed the kind of resolve crucial for postseason success.
Comment on this story