Anyone expecting a letdown performance from Juwan Howard’s squad Saturday was left sorely disappointed.

On paper, a road trip to Bloomington against an Indiana squad desperate for a win looked like a potential trap game for the No. 3 Wolverines. Since returning to the court after a long pause, Michigan had faced three ranked teams in four games, and still ahead for the Wolverines are games against Illinois and Michigan State.

Instead of looking ahead, Michigan showed up focused and determined against Indiana. They built a nine-point halftime lead that ballooned in the second half. The Wolverines then cruised to the finish line for the 73-57 win.

The driving force for the Wolverines was Franz Wagner as he scored 21 points on 6-for-9 shooting to go with six rebounds, an assist, and three steals. It was the third time in four games that Wagner has hit 20+ points, but the offensive attack was extremely balanced for Michigan.

Isaiah Livers scored 16 points and had a double-double while Hunter Dickinson and Mike Smith also scored in double digits.

For the Hoosiers, it was an uncharacteristically rough performance from star big man Trayce Jackson-Davis. He did finish with 10 points but shot just 3-for-12 from the field in the loss. Al Durham led the Hoosiers with 15 points.

Indiana has now lost three straight since beating Minnesota, falling squarely on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers finish the year with games against Michigan State and Purdue.

For Michigan, the Wolverines improve to 18-1 overall and continue to lead the B1G. They will face Illinois in a much-anticipated showdown Tuesday before finishing the year with back-to-back rivalry games against Michigan State.