ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 20 Indiana dug a hole that doomed the Hoosiers at Michigan.
Trey Burke scored 10 of his 18 points in the opening minutes to help the 23rd-ranked Wolverines build a 20-point lead and then hang on for a 68-56 victory Wednesday.
At the start of the game, we allowed a very good team to play like a great team because our players came out playing like they had seen a ghost, Hoosiers coach Tom Crean said. You cannot come out and not have a physical presence and give that kind of space to a team like Michigan.
Indiana (17-6, 5-6 Big Ten) pulled within two points twice in the second half, including at 52-50 with 3:20 remaining, before losing for the fifth time in seven games and fourth straight on the road.
Im proud of the way we did come back. Im proud of the players that did, Crean said. Our starting lineup was a joke and thats why we didnt play that lineup much longer after the initial start of the game.
The Wolverines (17-6, 7-3) remained unbeaten at home.
Michigan scored the first 13 points on a Burke-led burst and eventually taking a 28-8 lead.
Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a three-pointer for Michigan, and after Indianas Derek Elston missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Stu Douglass made a three-pointer to put the Wolverines up by eight.
Jordan Hulls scored 18 points for Indiana, which lamented that the beginning of the game led to an unwanted finish.
We cant start out like that, Hulls said. It was just terrible.
Cody Zeller had 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Indianas Verdell Jones III, who was scoreless in 12 minutes, didnt play after halftime because of a bruised shoulder that Crean said will be evaluated today.
The Hoosiers play at rival Purdue on Saturday night.
The Hoosiers beat Michigan 73-71 earlier in the season, part of a 15-1 start for Indiana that included wins over Kentucky and Ohio State.
I told them that Im looking for guys in February who play with a warrior spirit, Crean said. It doesnt matter if youre home or away.
Burke opened the scoring with a spinning layup and added two three-pointers, and Zack Novaks three-pointer from the right corner put Michigan ahead 13-0.
It was 28-8 after a free throw by Michigans Jordan Morgan, but Indiana scored nine straight points. Burke found a cutting Hardaway with an alley-oop pass to make it 33-20, and the Wolverines led 33-22 at halftime.
The Hoosiers kept chipping away in the second half. Watfords three-point play made it 38-36 with 12:53 remaining, but Novak answered with a three-pointer, the start of a 9-2 run for Michigan.
Indiana trailed by six points when Hulls made a three-pointer and Watford added a free throw to again cut the deficit to two. But Hardaway connected from the left wing after a pass from Burke to make it 55-50.
Hulls went 4 of 5 from three-point range, but the rest of the Hoosiers were 1 of 9.