[Small Timer]

I'm not an expert but is Indiana not very very bad this year, and Michigan has been at least respectable? Indiana is on a 6 game losing streak where they are 1-5 ATS with 1 close game against Minnesota. Is this just a bad matchup for Michigan?

[Emily_Haines]

I took Indiana. I feel at 0-4 in the bigten they come up with a big effort tomorrow.

[agharah1]

Michigan had Manny Harris and Deshawn Sims last year, while IU was missing Maurece Creek and IU still won comfortably. Michigan has only won 3 times @ Assembly Hall in the last 25 years. Not even the Fab Five could win there. Its always a questionable decision to take a team as incredibly young as Michigan on the road, their win @ Clemson notwithstanding.

A combination of favorable officiating and Michigan's notorious aversion to layups will lead IU to commit fewer than its season average in fouls, while Michigan's inability to force turnovers like last year will help IU win the turnover battle too.

IU 64 Michigan 59.

[chiliv5]

I think this game will be one of the hardest col hoops games to watch this year.

[ND25]

I don't know. I thought it was a typo or something when I saw Michigan +2.5 this morning. Indiana isn't very good and Michigan looks good this year. I expected to see Michigan -6 or something like that.

[Duke Fan]

under 129 looks pretty tasty too. I agree,should be like watching paint dry

[agharah1]

Indeed, Michigan will try to keep this a very slow game because frankly, I don't believe they can guard Christian Watford. Second, Michigan might be the only team in the Big Ten incapable of taking advantage of IU's extreme tendency for fouling.

[Regul8er]

I have a feel for Indiana today too. Time will tell.

[3GCOVERAGE]

I would not take Indiana. I am currently in school there and have been watching closely for five years and I do not like them to win this game. I guess the under seems good. IU will take time putting up shots against that zone but, I look for a lot of turnovers and forced shots from them. Last year at assembly hall Michigan got in foul trouble and that definately helped the hoosiers sims and novak foulded out and harris had four fouls and only played like 30 minutes.

[Duke Fan]

under 129 looks pretty tasty too. I agree,should be like watching paint dry

44 points at the half.Yuck!

[drfunkmaster]

Michigan did not even try...

[agharah1]

You said it, doc. They went the first 8 mins of the game without a single rebound. No defense, no rebounding, no set offense, no shooting, no nothing. Times like these remind me of how Bob Huggins once said the first thing he had to do when he arrived at West Virginia was teach Beilein's players how to defend because Beilein is notorious for de-emphasizing defense and rebounding. His teams rely on perimeter offense, executing back door cuts, and forcing turnovers.

The problem, of course, is that nobody wants to play on a perimeter-oriented team. Iowa and Iowa State figured that out when they replaced Todd Licklighter from Butler and Craig McDermott from the ultra-slow Missouri Valley with Fran McCaffery and Fred Hoiberg. Remember: Manny Harris only stayed at Michigan because of his strong friendship with Deshawn Sims. Were it not for that, Harris would be suiting up for his senior year at Tennessee right now. Luckily for him it worked out and now he's somehow starting for the Cavs.

In fact, Beilein might be sewing the seeds of his own demise because of his improved recruiting. At some point, Michigan fans are going to want to see what a younger, more energetic coach who plays a more NBA-friendly game can do with guys like Darius Morris, Tim Hardaway Jr, Carlton Brundidge, and Trey Burke.

[Small Timer]

Agharah1, thanks for the heads up before I put too much money into it

[TrapperDapper]

Absolutely two of the worst teams in hoops this year.