Second Longest Day For Knight Recker: ‘We Got Run Off The Court’

The loss was so thorough, even Bob Knight was baffled.

“You know, it’s … I don’t know, I wish I could figure it out,” Knight said after Michigan’s 112-64 rout of Indiana on Sunday, the second-worst defeat in his 27 years at Indiana.

“That’s not happened to us often, but it’s happened before. I’m sure if you’d ask the players they wouldn’t be able to give you an answer. I’m sure they’re as disappointed as we (coaches) are about how we played.

“It looked like we had taken no time nor had we made any effort to prepare for the game, the players or the coaches.”

Andrae Patterson, who had strong second halves against Purdue and Northwestern, missed all seven shots he took in the first half and rode the bench in the final period.

A.J. Guyton, the team’s leading scorer for the season, hit two 3-pointers in the first half and managed only one free throw after that. Freshman Luke Recker, second in scoring, had only 10 points.

“We got run off the court,” Recker said. “It was hard to tell what was in our minds. You can’t describe this.”

By halftime, Michigan led 54-25, and the Hoosiers just went through the motions the rest of the way.

“I think the only thing you can do in those circumstances is, let’s go play a 20-minute game and see what we can do with this half,” Knight said of his halftime instructions.

The result was a 66-point turn-around from the teams’ first meeting, won by Indiana 80-62. But it was a different Michigan team Sunday.

“Michigan played really well,” Knight said. “The thing that really hurt us was a combination of our not paying attention to defensive conversion and Michigan really going at the offensive end of the floor to start with. That got things going in the absolute wrong direction for us and … the right direction for them.”

Indiana (18-8, 9-5 Big Ten) is tied with Michigan for fourth place in the conference with two games to go before the inaugural Big Ten tournament in Chicago next month. The teams will probably meet again in the quarterfinals on March 6.

Indiana has games against second-place Illinois tonight and at sixthplace Iowa this weekend.

“I really haven’t decided on any changes yet,” Knight said. “I really don’t know how we’ll go about trying to get ready.”

The 112 points by Michigan were the most ever scored against a Knight-coached Indiana team.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Knight’s worst losses 50 Minnesota 106, Indiana 56, Feb. 27, 1994 48 Michigan 112, Indiana 64, Feb. 22, 1998 34 Kentucky 99, Indiana 65, Dec. 7, 1996 34 Connecticut 86, Indiana 52, Nov. 25, 1995 31 Michigan 83, Indiana 52, March 8, 1986 29 Iowa 90, Indiana 61, Jan. 13, 1979 26 Iowa 76, Indiana 50, Feb. 11, 1996 24 Michigan St. 82, Indiana 58, Jan. 18, 1979 24 Syracuse 102, Indiana 78, Nov. 23, 1988 24 Michigan 91, Indiana 67, Feb. 8, 1994