Three takeaways from Michigan’s 72-70 loss to Wake Forest

Three takeaways from Michigan’s 72-70 loss to Wake Forest

(Photo by @umichbball on X)

Michigan basketball jumped out to an early 13-point lead over Wake Forest in a non-conference matchup between members of the Big Ten and ACC. But despite carrying a four-point lead into halftime, the Wolverines came up just short against the Demon Deacons.

It’s the first loss of the Dusty May era, and the Wolverines fall to 1-1 on the season. Here are three takeaways from the entertaining game.

Offense goes cold. Anomaly or trend?

Michigan was never going to consistently score 90 points per game. The Wolverines put up 92 and 96 in the two exhibition games, and they dropped 101 on Cleveland State on Monday night. Of course, Oakland, Toledo and the Vikings aren’t the best of opponents, but it was encouraging to see Michigan’s offense firing on all cylinders.

However, the high-powered, fast-paced offensive attack was neutralized on Sunday afternoon by the Demon Deacons. The Wolverines scored 70 points in the loss, and not only did the team shoot poorly, but no player other than Sam Walters had a particularly good shooting day.

Michigan shot just 42.1 percent from the floor and 30.3 percent from beyond the arc in the defeat. The Wolverines connected on just two of their 16 shots from distance in the second half.

Although it was a poor shooting performance from May’s team, the Wolverines did make 12-of-15 from the free throw line, which was an area the team had struggled in throughout the first three contests.

Only two games in, but rebounding continues to be a concern

Cleveland State hauled in 20 offensive rebounds against Michigan on Monday night. It didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things as the Wolverines cruised to a 48-point victory, but it was something to monitor for Dusty May’s team going forward — giving up 20 offensive rebounds to a Horizon League team is not ideal.

But the Wolverines were poor on the defensive glass on Sunday afternoon, too. Late in the second half, Wake Forest had…

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Author : The Maize And Blue Review

Publish date : 2024-11-10 20:24:00

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