Michigan basketball steamrolls Indiana 86-72 behind 3-point barrage

So, obviously That Michigan basketball still exists.

After four straight mediocre games (by the Wolverines’ extremely high standards), Michigan returned home and played its best game in a month.

advertise

Michigan crushed Indiana 86-72 on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the Crisler Center, shutting down Indiana from the floor, raining down blows from distance and getting some of the hard-hitting games coach Dusty May demanded.

On the grill: It’s too early for Michigan State to enter college football’s top 25 in 2026

Michigan isn’t perfect. The Wolverines shot 1-for-8 from the line in the first half and committed nine turnovers before halftime, but were closer to Michigan’s standards of the first two months.

Elliot Cadeau scored 19 points, including 10 of the team’s first 12 points, while Aday Mara added 13 points and Yaxel Lendeborg added 15 points. Four players hit multiple 3-pointers and the team shot 10 of 25 in what was UM’s best shooting night of the New Year.

advertise

No. 2 Michigan (17-1, 7-1 Big Ten) looks to extend its winning streak to four games on Friday, Jan. 23 (8 p.m., Fox) when it takes on rival Ohio State in Ann Arbor, a night where former star guard Trey Burke will hang his jersey in the rafters.

Rebounds and effort

Michigan ranked outside the top 200 nationally in defensive rebounding over the past month, but absolutely dominated the Hoosiers on the glass. UM won the rebounding battle 41-25 (24-8 at halftime) and had a decisive advantage in second-chance points.

Throughout the night, Michigan brought the juice. The defense got going early, with Roddy Gayle Jr. setting the tone, blocking IU’s leading scorer Lamar Wilkerson on three consecutive breakaway attempts. Moretz Johnson Jr. then knocked down Wilkerson after he and Nemari Burnett trapped Wilkerson on his layup attempt, leading to the game-ending game.

advertise

One of UM’s early miscues came when Caddo attempted a bounce pass from behind to Mara. That seemed to lead to another IU fast break, only for Will Tschetter to rush downfield and slow down the push, forcing a missed floater by Trent Sisley, who had a high five from May.

The highlight of the first half was when Johnson missed a free throw and passed the ball to Caddo. Although he missed the layup, Johnson still scored on the fly, chasing the score to 35-23.

looking for their stroke

Filming at UM has been difficult in recent weeks. Oregon shot 33 percent from 3-point range for the first time in its last six games, but found its range again against Indiana. Caddo hit his first two 3-pointers of the night before McKennie came on the court, hitting both in less than two minutes to give the Wolverines a 22-5 lead.

Although IU made just 1-of-15 shooting in the opening frame, Michigan always found answers from deep

advertise

Chet and Burnett made consecutive shots from behind the three-point line to chase the score to 28-13. When IU narrowed the point difference to within 10 points, Chet shot again to chase the score to 38-25, and then entered the end with 40-29.

Michigan State kept going in the second half. Lundborg probed and kicked to the left corner, setting up Burnett for a 3-pointer, then Marra passed a one-handed pass to Lundborg on the next possession, and Lundborg hit a 3-pointer of his own, forcing a timeout at 48-33 with 18:00 left in the game.

Burnett’s third long ball of the night from the left corner extended the lead to 20 with 14 minutes remaining and the game never really got tight again.

Tony Garcia is the Wolverines news writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X @RealTonyGarcia.

This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball scores, Wolverines roll over Indiana