8A — Wednesday, February 3, 2016 Sports The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Hoosiers blow past Michigan By SIMON KAUFMAN Daily Sports Editor For five minutes Tuesday night, the country’s second-best shooting team looked like a bunch of junior- varsity kids who’d just been told to suit up for the varsity squad — eager to throw up shots without any real sense of how to do it. Indiana took 10 shots in the first five minutes of its game against the Michigan men’s basketball team (7-3 Big Ten, 17-6 overall) and made just two. The Wolverines, meanwhile, used a string of four-straight makes to jump out to an early 10-2 lead and pushed the margin to as many as 11 in the first half at Crisler Center. But then, the script flipped: The Hoosiers (9-1, 19-4) looked varsity; Michigan looked elementary. Indiana used a 28-0 run that stretched from the 9:05 mark in the first half to the 18:36 mark in the second to cruise to an 80-67 win. In the first five minutes, it looked like the stars might align and the Wolverines might pull off an upset over the 22nd-ranked Hoosiers. But Michigan’s stars faded, and Indiana needed only one star — senior guard Yogi Ferrell — who shined bright enough to guide the Hoosiers to their conference-best ninth win. Ferrell went 6-for-10 from the field and finished with a game- high 17 points and nine assists to help pace an Indiana team that likes to move the ball quickly in transition. It’s the fifth time in six career games against the Wolverines that Ferrell has put up at least 14 against the maize and blue. “It’s a flow sport. You don’t have a chance to huddle up all the time,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “So we had some open shots, we missed them. They’re tremendous in transition. Like I said, Yogi Ferrell is as good a point guard as there is, because he can shoot off the bounce, he finds people, he’s playing team ball and they’ve got shooters everywhere.” The Hoosiers finished 50 percent from the field. But still, early on, the Wolverines looked like they could hang. With nine minutes left in the first frame, Michigan redshirt sophomore guard Duncan Robinson knocked down his second 3-pointer of the night to give Michigan a 24-20 lead. It would be the last basket the Wolverines would make until 90 seconds into the second half, when Robinson hit a jumper to end a 10-minute scoring drought. When Michigan stopped scoring, Indiana was just getting started and couldn’t miss. In the final 10 minutes of the first half, the Hoosiers went 12-for-15 from the field, including three made 3s with less than two minutes left in the frame. Michigan’s one- time lead disappeared faster than Donald Trump’s lead in Iowa did Monday night, and the Hoosiers headed into the locker room with a safe 45-24 lead. In the second half, two free throws set the tone for the formality that was the final 20 minutes of play. Sophomore guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur- Rahkman got fouled early in the second half, went to the free-throw line and missed both tries — continuing Michigan’s scoreless streak. “It’s just draining when you have an 11-point lead against that team and everything’s going well,” said junior forward Zak Irvin, who led Michigan with 16 points, “then just like that (it’s gone). Basketball’s a game of runs. A (28-0) run, that’s something that none of us saw coming.” Indiana eventually cooled off — making just one of its first five shots of the second frame — but its first-half run was too great for Michigan to overcome, despite finding its touch in the second half. The Wolverines shot 60 percent in the frame, but the most they could cut the Hoosiers’ lead to was 13 points, and even that came just seconds before the final buzzer sounded. After the game, Irvin and Robinson mentioned a lack of mental toughness as a reason for the loss, but Beilein didn’t buy into that. He thought Indiana was just better. “People always throw that out there, mental toughness,” Beilein said. “Sometimes the other team is just damn better than you on that night, and I’m not the coach who’s going to point fingers at my players. We’ve got to get better, we’ll find a way.” LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily Junior forward Zak Irvin led all Wolverines with 16 points in an 80-67 loss to Indiana at Crisler Center on Wednesday. Bielfeldt returns By LEV FACHER Daily Sports Writer Seven of Max Bielfeldt’s teammates outscored him Tuesday night, and six spent more time on the floor. But when Indiana coach Tom Crean took the podium to address reporters after a beatdown far more thorough than the 80-67 score suggested, Bielfeldt was the first player he credited. “I think, in the first half, Max had a plus-25 in the plus-minus,” Crean said, later mentioning Bielfeldt among a list of seniors who have provided his team, which has started the season 19-4, with “excellent leadership.” In layman’s terms: In the 18 minutes Bielfeldt played, his Hoosiers outscored the Michigan men’s basketball team by 25. The performance, however, was about far more than simple numbers. It was a homecoming for Bielfeldt, one that came on the heels of a controversial departure that has recently seen its nastier side bubble back toward the surface. A senior with a year of eligibility remaining, Bielfeldt spent 2014-15 with his status for the following season up in the air. He played his best basketball in the final stretch of a decidedly disappointing season, proving himself a capable post presence on a team starved for experienced big men. None of it mattered. When the dust settled on a chaotic end to recruiting season, Michigan coach John Beilein had a scholarship available, yet, when push came to shove, Bielfeldt found himself in search of another program to call home. A column Tuesday in the Indianapolis Star lambasted Beilein for the way he handled the situation. Beilein said Monday he didn’t regret the decision — it was one made with the future, not the past, in mind. Bielfeldt seems to have moved on quickly, averaging 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds with the Hoosiers. He gave Michigan fans a taste, however small, of what he could have given their team this year, pulling down a game-high seven rebounds and helping to charge a 28-0 run that left the Wolverines flailing. “Walking down here in the visitor’s locker room is weird,” Bielfeldt said. ”I got out there, and (seeing) all the guys got my adrenaline pumping. It was definitely a unique experience, but I tried to calm down a little bit before the game, you know, go back to myself. Because I’m not the crazy, energetic guy out there all the time. I was trying to find myself.” The Michigan fans who watched Bielfeldt jog out of the opposite tunnel for four years made sure his welcome was a warm one, giving him a rousing ovation as he entered. Bielfeldt was all business. He acknowledged the students with a smile and a wave, said his hellos to his former teammates and trotted across the halfcourt line to warm up with the team wearing scarlet — a color conspicuously absent from his wardrobe throughout his four years in Ann Arbor. The crowd at Crisler Center gave Bielfeldt an even lustier cheer when he checked into the game early in the first half, well before the wheels fell off in Michigan’s third Big Ten loss this season. They didn’t cheer for much longer, for Bielfeldt or for the Wolverines, who proved incapable of standing their ground as Indiana’s lead ballooned to 27. The Hoosiers were well prepared for Michigan’s baseline cuts, its ball-screen action and the rest of its game plan. Among the potential concerns for Beilein was Bielfeldt’s ability to help game- plan against a system he played in for four years. The fear proved legitimate — to an extent. “I tried to help where I could, but it wasn’t extreme,” Bielfeldt said. “It was what you’d expect.” MEN’S BASKETBALL INDIANA MICHIGAN 80 67 Signing Day primer: Top targets remain for ‘M’ Nation’s No. 1 recruit Rashan Gary still considering Wolverines By ORION SANG Daily Sports Writer The No. 12 Michigan football team finished its season on a high note, beating No. 25 Florida, 41-7, in the Citrus Bowl to cap a 10-3 season under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. Wednesday, the Wolverines will look to finish strong on the recruiting trail as well, with several top targets slated to announce on National Signing Day and Michigan strongly in contention for a top-5 class nationally. In what will be Harbaugh’s first full recruiting cycle after being hired near the end of the 2015 period, Michigan currently has the sixth-best recruiting class in the nation, according to 247Sports. The list of targets Michigan is after has a varied national flavor, with players from the Midwest, East Coast and West Coast all set to decide. Chief among those prospects is Rashan Gary. Gary is a defensive lineman who is ranked as the No. 1 player in the nation according to the 247Sports.com Composite Rankings, a system that takes the rankings of all four major recruiting websites into account before creating a holistic list. He attends the same high school, Paramus Catholic, that current redshirt freshmen Jabrill Peppers and Juwan Bushell-Beatty did. Michigan linebackers and special teams coach Chris Partridge, who was recently promoted from director of player personnel in recruiting, used to be the head coach of Paramus Catholic, and the relationship between Partridge and Gary has often been cited as a key factor in Gary’s interest in Michigan. Gary is the first recruit to be ranked No. 1 overall by all four major recruiting websites since Robert Nkemdiche in 2013 and would be the highest-rated recruit Michigan has signed since the debut of the 247Sports Composite. The primary contenders for Gary appear to be Michigan, Clemson — where Gary reportedly took an official visit this past weekend — Alabama and Ole Miss. According to the 247Sports Crystal Ball, 80 percent of the predictions for Gary’s final destination are Michigan, as of the time of this article. From his film, it is clear that Gary possesses a rare blend of power and speed for his size, can play all over the defensive line and seems like a good bet to crack the depth chart of any school he chooses. But Gary isn’t the only highly touted defensive lineman Michigan is after. Boss Tagaloa, the No. 13 defensive tackle in the nation according to 247Sports, will also be announcing his decision Wednesday. Tagaloa is from California and attends Concord De La Salle, the same high school as another highly-touted prospect that the Wolverines are after: Devin Asiasi. Asiasi is rated the No. 3 tight end in the nation by 247sports, but could also be a defensive end. He’s a bulky yet athletic pass-catcher who even took snaps for his high school team as a wildcat quarterback. Tagaloa and Asiasi are considering the Wolverines among a group of finalists, though most of the pair’s other finalists are closer to their home of Northern California. The two have said they would like to attend the same school, but it is unknown whether they will follow through with their plans to be a package deal. Michigan has not signed a recruit from De La Salle, widely regarded as a powerhouse, since quarterback Matt Gutierrez in 2002. In addition to the De La Salle duo, the Wolverines will look to add another California prospect in Victor Viramontes. Viramontes was once a verbal commitment to Michigan but backed off his pledge in early December. He has positional versatility and could find time on the field as a quarterback, fullback, H-back or even linebacker. Another prospect from the West who Michigan would love to add to its class is Connor Murphy, a long and athletic defensive end from Arizona. Harbaugh also shares a personal relationship with Murphy’s family, having recruited Murphy’s older brother Trent while at Stanford. Despite the national scope of their recruiting, the Wolverines have not forgotten about their home state. Michigan is after three prospects from the Great Lakes state in Lavert Hill, Quinn Nordin and Alaric Jackson. Hill, the younger brother of current Wolverine junior safety Delano Hill, will announce at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. He is a highly-rated cornerback from Detroit King High School, the 2015 Michigan Division 2 state champions, and has taken official visits to Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State and Tennessee. Hill, who was named the Lockheed Martin Air Defender of the Year by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee, has great agility and speed, and he could even contribute in the return game at the collegiate level. Coincidentally, Nordin shares a recruiting tie with Hill — both were once verbal commitments to Penn State. Nordin, ranked as the best kicker in the nation by 247Sports, is also well-known for more than his kicking prowess — he received media attention this summer when he participated in a commitment video to announce his initial choice of Penn State. He will presumably choose between the three schools he took official visits to: Michigan, Baylor and Southern California. Jackson, a 6-foot-7 offensive tackle from Detroit Renaissance High School, was slated to choose his college destination Monday, but reportedly received a scholarship offer from the Wolverines the same day and postponed his decision until Wednesday. Detroit Renaissance coach Lou Beatty told the Daily on Tuesday that he did not know where Jackson would commit. “(Jackson) is an athletic big man,” Beatty said. “He can move really well, and he’s a tenacious player.” Jackson, who has been a basketball player for most of his life, could be the offensive tackle that replaces Devery Hamilton in Michigan’s class. Hamilton switched his commitment to Stanford this past weekend. From the Summer Swarm camps to the overnight “sleepover” visits with recruits, Harbaugh and his staff have shown that they will leave no stone unturned in their efforts to secure the best possible recruiting class. And their seemingly unorthodox tactics have generated a lot of attention. With so many prospects left to announce on National Signing Day, Michigan could make its final recruiting splash a big one. SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh looks to top off an impressive recruiting class by signing more top recruits on National Signing Day on Wednesday Gary possesses a rare blend of power and speed for his size.