Hoosier State of Mind
Fansided

Hoosiers Outlast Wolverines In Late Game Thriller

By Matthew Larson

Indiana University's Mackenzie Mgbako (21) scores during the first half of the Indiana versus Maryland men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023.
Indiana University's Mackenzie Mgbako (21) scores during the first half of the Indiana versus Maryland men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. /
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The Hoosiers ended up on top on Tuesday night in Ann Arbor, outlasting Michigan in a wire to wire race by a final score of 78-75. The second game of conference play had a lot of ups and downs, and the Wolverines played at a faster pace than the Hoosiers have faced. It was a bit of a struggle adjusting to that at the onset. A travel from Kel’el Ware early in the contest was a clear example of some early season exhaustion (he was promptly subbed out shortly after this play). Regardless, the entire team came together to push through for a victory.

Down Xavier Johnson for another game, questions were raised on whether Gabe Cupps could hold it down at the point guard spot. Cupps has yet to provide much spunk on the offensive side, but has shown a lot of promise defensively. He is a scrappy defender, and has shown a fearlessness in taking on tough defensive assignments. In this particular game, he had his work cut out for him being lined up with Gus McDaniel. While this may have seemed like a mismatch on paper, the reality turned out differently. Primarily defended by the Hoosiers gritty young point guard,  McDaniel struggled mightily throughout the night to the tune of 13 points on 3-14 shooting. Cupps understood his assignment, and he more than passed.

CJ Gunn
CJ Gunn, Indiana University Men’s Basketball (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

While Cupps’s defense was huge, there were plenty of other contributors in the dub. CJ Gunn had his best game of the young season, chipping in with some crucial steals and burying a few major treys. Gunn had struggled to start the year, but this game showed that he can do it both offensively and defensively. Malik Reneau was an absolute juggernaut in the second half, bullying his way to 11 of his team-high 15 points for the evening. Kel’el Ware overcame some early foul trouble to finish with 13 points and 8 rebounds, and came up huge in the clutch. Trey Galloway’s early season blues from beyond the arc trekked onward as he went 0-3 from outside and was largely nonexistent in the first half. The tables turned for him in the second half, as he finished with 9 big points in the closing frame. Freshman Mackenzie Mgbako had another positive showing, and Mike Woodson also received some quality minutes from Kaleb Banks, Payton Sparks, and Anthony Walker off the bench.

This one was truly a team effort.

Indiana improved to 7-1 overall and are now 2-0 in conference play. The team’s next game is this Saturday at 2pm vs the Auburn Tigers in Atlanta, Georgia.

Go Hoosiers!

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