BLOOMINGTON – After guiding a team that could have benefitted from a MASH squad last season, Michigan coach Tommy Amaker was excited to finally have a full team in uniform in a conference game on Tuesday – the first time in more than a year.
Or at least that’s what he thought he’d have.
Redshirt junior Lester Abram unexpectedly missed the team’s biggest game of the year so far, leaving Michigan without, arguably, its most complete player.
“I was bragging to Tommy about having all his guys the other day,” Indiana coach Mike Davis said. “But then Abram got hurt the other night – they definitely missed him.”
Abram injured the big toe on his right foot during Saturday’s game against Chicago State. He tested it out before the game but decided he couldn’t participate. The wing doesn’t know whether or not there is a fracture nor an approximate timetable for his return. He was scheduled to have an X-ray yesterday.
“It was real hard,” Abram said. “I was injured last year. I don’t want to be sitting on the bench watching my team lose ballgames that I think we can win.”
Amaker stated Michigan planned on having Abram guard Indiana sophomore Robert Vaden, who tore the Wolverines apart for 17 second-half points. But even though he admitted Abram’s injury “didn’t help,” he refused to point to that as a reason for the loss.
“For the most part, we were doing a pretty decent job (guarding Vaden),” Amaker said. “I just thought he had a flurry there where he made some big baskets for his team.”
In his second start of the season, sophomore Ron Coleman played in place of Abram. But Coleman went scoreless and freshman Jevohn Shepherd collected the bulk of the available minutes. Shepherd scored three points in the first half and showed a lot of energy on the defensive end, trying to stifle a dangerous Indiana team.
“My main focus is intensity on the defensive end when I get into the game,” Shepherd said.
But the freshman’s solid first half didn’t roll into the second half, and he finished the game 1-for-7 with three turnovers. But Abram was still impressed with the performances of his young players.
“I was proud of the people who stepped into my position today,” Abram said. “They really stepped it up and made it a ballgame.”
Special delivery: Although Abram missed a game for the first time this year, Michigan received helped in the form of forward Brent Petway. After being declared academically ineligible for the first semester, the junior saw his first action this year. But it was uncertain until late in the afternoon if he could even play.
Petway flew in just hours before tipoff after finishing what Amaker called “last minute paperwork.” Petway found his way onto the court at Assembly Hall six minutes into the game, entering for teammate Graham Brown.
“It felt good to walk in here and put on the uniform again,” Petway said. “It just felt good to be around the guys and the game atmosphere and be back on the court again.”
On the first offensive possession, he tipped in a Chris Hunter miss. But those would be the only points the junior would score. He collected two quick fouls and didn’t see action again until the second half.
“I had a lot of adrenaline on the court the first time I stepped on, and I had to try and control it,” he said.
He finished the game 1-for-3 from the field with one rebound and three fouls.
Quantity over quality: Normally a 64 percent performance from the free throw line means disaster, especially when the other team shoots 80 percent. But Indiana’s poor percentage from the free throw line still resulted in 12 more points than Michigan could muster.
The Wolverines (4-for-5) shot well, but weren’t aggressive enough with their drives to draw the fouls inside. Indiana (16-for-25) shot poorly, but the Hoosiers’ aggression gave them multiple trips to the line. Senior Marco Killingsworth found himself at the line 11 times – twice as many as Michigan combined.
“We didn’t get to the foul line and they did,” Amaker said. “I thought that was the difference.”