BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Chants of “YO-GI FER-RELL” rained down on the Assembly Hall court as the Hoosiers star guard stepped to the free throw line midway through the second half.
Fans had a good reason to yell, too. By this point, Ferrell had scored 24 points and made 7-of-8 3-point shots. It was due to his play that Indiana was able to take down the No. 10 team in the country, the Michigan Wolverines 62-53 Sunday afternoon.
In front of V.I.Ps like Pacers president Larry Bird and Bulls general manager and vice president of basketball operations Gar Forman and John Paxson, Ferrell put on a performance of a lifetime scoring 27 points and shooting 80 percent from the field.
“Yogi is playing at a very high level,” IU coach Tom Crean said.
Along with Ferrell’s performance, Noah Vonleh had a quiet double double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 boards.
But it was truly Ferrell’s play that stole the show. In key moments throughout the game, Ferrell was able to carry the team offensively and became a sharp-shooter outside the three-point arc. Defensively, Ferrell, who was put to the task of guarding Michigan star player Nik Stauskas, held him to only six points and 1-of-6 from the field.
This win makes the Hoosiers 12-2 at Assembly Hall where they have traditionally played very well.
“I don’t think we get that extra edge in this game without the crowd,” Crean said.
There’s no doubt, even before tip-off, Assembly Hall was filled with loud and energetic fans. In fact, there were some points during the game where the noise level was almost deafening.
This win was the second win the Hoosiers have had against a top 10 team. However, bad losses to teams like Northwestern and Nebraska will make it difficult for this team to make a case to get into the Tournament. In fact, according to ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi, he predicts that the Hoosier’s will be one of the first four out.
If that is the case, IU will have to come up with wins against Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan again if they want to make its case stronger.
But for now, Hoosier basketball fans are celebrating not only a much-needed win, but also a staple win for a team that is teetering on the edge of being out of the Big Dance.
-Ben Wittenstein
