Gunn's Career Night, Cupps' Defense on McDaniel Helps Indiana Win at Michigan

Indiana senior point guard Xavier Johnson missed a second consecutive game Tuesday at Michigan, and Trey Galloway had a poor shooting night. But in a 78-75 win, CJ Gunn knocked down crucial shots, and Gabe Cupps played strong defense on Dug McDaniel.

Indiana was on the ropes late Tuesday night at Michigan, trailing by six as the clock ticked below nine minutes.  

To make matters worse, the Hoosiers were playing without sixth-year point guard Xavier Johnson, and fellow senior guard Trey Galloway fell into a 3-for-12 shooting rut.

The run that ultimately flipped the game started with what Indiana does best – scoring inside with forwards like Mackenzie Mgbako and Malik Reneau. But taking the lead on the road required Indiana to find outside shooting, something it's done less – at a poor rate, too, 25.8% – than any other Big Ten team. 

That production came from a somewhat unlikely source. Sophomore guard CJ Gunn committed to Indiana with a scoring reputation out of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, but entering Tuesday's game he was shooting 30.8% on the season and just 2-for-28 from 3-point range in his college career.

But shooters shoot, right?

"Yes sir," Gunn answered postgame. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

It's that fearless approach, plus hours and hours of work, that allowed Gunn to step up when Indiana needed him most. 

With 7:30 left in the game, Anthony Walker passed the ball to Gunn on the left wing. Walker followed his pass and jogged in front of Gunn, allowing just enough space between Gunn and the Michigan defender. Gunn let it fly, and the 3-pointer gave Indiana a 60-59 lead, capping off a 7-0 run.

Without question, that was the biggest shot of Gunn's young career.

"Even if I would have missed it, I would have acted like nothing happened," Gunn said. "But it's just all the work I've been putting in, getting shots up with [Jordan Hulls] and coach [Calbert] Cheaney. I wasn't really nervous to take the shot, and I'm glad it fell because it definitely boosted my confidence for the rest of the game."

Across the final seven minutes of the game, neither team created more than two points of separation, until a Galloway free throw with two seconds left. Kel'el Ware, with his 7-foot frame and even longer wingspan, swatted away the in-bounds pass that ended Michigan's last-gasp effort.

The Hoosiers secured a 78-75 win at the Crisler Center Tuesday night, moving their record to 7-1 overall and an important 2-0 in Big Ten play. Indiana, again, was led by double-digit scoring from the frontcourt trio of Mgbako, Reneau and Ware, but it may not have won without Gunn stepping up in several big moments.

The 6-foot-6 sophomore tied his season high of 20 minutes, and he was in the closing lineup for the first time all year. He finished with a season-high eight points along with four steals, two rebounds and a blocked shot. 

"It's amazing," Gunn said. "I've been waiting for this game, and this is just proof of all the work I've been putting in and stacking up days leading up to the game."

Indiana guard CJ Gunn, right, blocks a jump shot from Michigan forward Olivier Nkamhoua during the second half of Michigan's 78-75 loss on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, at Crisler Center :: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Indiana coach Mike Woodson was glad to see Gunn knock down a couple shots, but he seemed even more pleased with Gunn's engagement on the defensive end. Gunn said the key to his defensive performance was being in the right spots, as Woodson holds players accountable to do so. Gunn believes his speed and athleticism create a good mix in Woodson's system, which allowed him to come up with four steals.

And on a team without many outside shooters, his 2-for-3 night from 3-point range was just as crucial. It was surprising to see Gunn's name on the "questionable" column of Indiana's pregame availability report, but that didn't seem to affect his play on Tuesday.

"Yesterday I was sick. I didn't even practice," Gunn said. "So leading up to the game I was ready to go out there and do whatever I had to do to help the team get the win. I went out there and I played well, and coach trusted me at the end of the game."

Along with Gunn, Indiana got a much-needed boost from freshman point guard Gabe Cupps. Though his only two points came at the free throw line and he missed his lone attempt from the field, Cupps played an integral role in defending Michigan's best player.

Michigan guard Dug McDaniel dribbles against Indiana guard Gabe Cupps during the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023 :: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Point guard Dug McDaniel entered the game averaging 20.9 points and shooting 41.2% from 3-point range. But he scored just 13 points in 38 minutes, shooting 3-for-14 from the field and 0-for-4 from three. The majority of McDaniel's points cam at the free throw line, where he went 7-for-10 with three crucial misses in the final three minutes. 

The on-ball pressure applied by Cupps and Galloway kept McDaniel uncomfortable throughout the game, resulting in a steep drop-off in production from his 33-point game Saturday at Oregon.

Cupps made his second-career start on Tuesday as Johnson missed another game with an ankle injury, and Woodson's trust in the freshman continues to grow.

"He played his ass off," Woodson said. "I look at the little things Gabe does. If he doesn't score a bucket, I'm good with that. If he's got shots, I want him to take it. But he just knows how to manage the game, and he does things on defense that a lot of guards don't want to do, so that's why he's playing."

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