Indiana sinks Michigan with jaw-dropping 28-0 surge

It started innocently enough with a deft spin move and reverse layup from center Thomas Bryant. Then came a rather unremarkable driving layup from forward Collin Hartman two possessions later.

Really, there weren't any signs Indiana was poised to bury Michigan before halftime Tuesday night until the avalanche had already begun to pick up momentum.

The Hoosiers scored a remarkable 25 straight points over the final nine minutes of the first half, transforming a narrow four-point deficit into decisive 21-point lead. They extended the streak to 28 straight points just after halftime, enabling them to coast to an 80-67 road victory over the Wolverines.

The gory details of Indiana's surge are probably enough to make Michigan fans bury their faces in their foam fingers.

Seven Indiana players scored at least one basket led by seven points from forward Troy Williams and six from point guard Yogi Ferrell. The Hoosiers combined for 11-for-14 shooting, none more memorable than this alley-oop.

A scoring blitz like that is typical of Indiana, but the defense the Hoosiers played was the most encouraging sign. They held Michigan without a point for 10 minutes, harassing the Wolverines into 13 straight missed shots, three errant free throws and three turnovers during that stretch.

Indiana's victory was an important one after the Hoosiers took a step backward last week with a loss at Wisconsin and a closer-than-anticipated victory over hapless Minnesota. This win showed that Indiana truly has made strides defensively in recent weeks even if its 9-1 Big Ten record has been aided by not having to play Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State or Purdue yet.

Before the Wisconsin loss, Indiana had yet to allow a Big Ten opponent to score more than 1.0 points per possession. The Hoosiers' back-loaded schedule clearly was a factor in that, but so was increased playing time for solid perimeter defenders Robert Johnson and OG Anunoby in the wake of James Blackmon's season-ending injury.

As gifted a scorer as Blackmon is, it's hard to imagine Indiana holding an opponent scoreless for 10 minutes with him on the floor.

The Hoosiers benefited defensively having Anunoby to guard Michigan's Zak Irvin and they still had plenty of weapons on the perimeter to replicate Blackmon's offensive contributions.

Exciting as that surge was for every Indiana player, the Hoosier who was most pleased had to be forward Max Bielfeldt. The former Michigan player transferred to Indiana this offseason after Wolverines coach John Beilein decided not to renew his scholarship for a fifth season.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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