Indiana makes a crazy comeback to beat Michigan in Big Ten Tournament

Indiana beats Michigan in a battle of bubble teams in the Big Ten Tournament. Did the loss knock the Wolverines out of the Big Dance?

The Indiana Hoosiers beat the Michigan Wolverines, 74-69. The Hoosiers were led by Trayce Jackson Davis. Davis scored 24 points on 58 percent shooting. The Wolverines were led by Devante Jones. Jones scored 18 points on 50 percent shooting.

Indiana was down by 17 midway through the half. It seemed that Indiana season was over. Johnson started the comeback with a three. Indiana then went on a 24-4 run over the rest of the game.

The Key for the Hoosiers during this game was Xavier Johnson. When Johnson was in the game, the Hoosiers played with more intensity. Johnson had 17 points on 50 percent shooting. The Junior was very good from three. Johnson went 3 of 4 from the three-point line.

Once the Hoosiers started to make that second-half run, it seemed like Michigan could not get anything offensively. It seemed like it was Indiana’s game to lose when Miller Kopp made a three in the corner to make it a 1 point game with 6 minutes left.

Despite making a tremendous comeback, the Hoosiers almost lost it late. The Hoosiers were up 7 with two minutes. After Juwan Howard took a timeout, the Wolverines started to come back. Devante Jones hit a jumper to make it a 5 point game. With around 44 seconds left, Eli Brooks made a three to make it a 2 point game.

Miller Kopp missed a jumper with around 15 seconds but Indiana got the ball back. Xavier Johnson was fouled and made the two free throws. With a four-point lead and 9 seconds remaining, the Hoosiers had the victory.

After winning this game, the Hoosiers seem to be primed for an at large bid in the NCAA tournament. Indiana seems to be heading to the tournament after winning this game because Wake Forest and Xavier lost on Wednesday in their respective tournaments.  While it seems that the Hoosiers are going to the tournament for the first time in seven years, they could certainly use a win against Illinois to secure an at large bid.

The Michigan Wolverines are feeling a little queasy about their tournament hopes after this loss. While they certainly have a nice case to get into the tournament, they needed a win today to fully secure an at-large bid. While this is true, the Wolverines should not feel totally hopeless about their chances.

The Wolverines do have solid wins against Ohio State and Purdue. Additionally Michigan won more games than they lost in the Big Ten. Finally, many bracketologists have them in the tournament. Although the Wolverines will probably still make the tournament, they will most likely play in the first four.