Last week was the biggest of the Michigan Wolverines’ regular season, going on the road and beating a top-10 Purdue team and losing on a neutral site to No. 3 Duke. Because of the loss in D.C., it wasn’t the week the Wolverines’ wanted, but all their goals are still ahead of them.
Here are three things we learned about the Wolverines last week.
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Michigan is fallible
Duke handed Michigan its second loss of the season, with the first being vs Wisconsin in a game the Badgers shot hit 15 three-pointers and still only won by three. Other times when the Wolverines haven’t played well, they have found a way to claw back and sometimes still earn a double-digit win.
But Saturday’s loss was a culmination of some of the concerns for what could happen in a game like this. Aday Mara got in early foul trouble, they gave up a ton of offensive rebounds and giving Duke second chances, they shot just 6-of-25 from deep, and they had their worst offensive performance of the season. Credit goes to the Blue Devils’ top-ranked defense for some of that for sure, but it felt like the first time this season the Wolverines really dug themselves into a hole they couldn’t get out of.
This same thing can happen in a variety of ways against good teams at a neutral site with what’s coming at the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. It’s far from time to panic, but hopefully Michigan uses the loss as a lesson for the two upcoming tournaments.
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More consistency from the backcourt is key
Michigan can’t just rely on getting points in the paint to win games. Yes, Mara is a mismatch and Lendeborg is one of the toughest guys to guard in college basketball, but the best team in the country will find ways to mitigate that and maybe even match that size. Duke did that on Saturday with its physicality, and Michigan wasn’t prepared for it.
In that situation, there has to be a guard the Wolverines can turn to. At Purdue, it was Elliot Cadeau with a team-high 17 points, Trey McKenney hitting some threes to spell runs for Purdue, and L.J. Cason continuing his hot streak with 13 points of his own. That trio combined for 43 of Michigan’s 91 points. Other times this season, we’ve seen the impact Nimari Burnett can have on the perimeter. When they’re going, this offense is at its peak.
That is not what happened against Duke. Cadeau and McKenney were a combined 2-for-14 from the field, Burnett was held scoreless, and Cason had seven points (all in the first half). All four of them having an off night is rare, but with Mara in foul trouble, Michigan’s only offensive threat became Lendeborg. Once Duke made adjustments to slow him down, the offense was all out of sorts.
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The starch contrast of guard play in the two games last week shows exactly how important it is for Dusty May and company to get production out of that group.
The Wolverines are still a top team in the country
A lot went wrong against Duke, and it likely would have meant a blowout loss for a lot of teams. Despite all the negatives, Michigan still had a meaningful chance to win for all 40 minutes of the game. Again, credit to Duke, but fans should be encouraged the Wolverines still hung with a fellow top team in the country while having an off night. It’s exactly why May scheduled this game — it was a low-cost, high-reward preparation for what’s to come in March.
The way the Wolverines dismantled Purdue in the first half at Mackey Arena was what they look like at their best. Even with as good as Duke is, I’m not sure there is a team in the country that can keep up with the Wolverines when they are playing and shooting like that.
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Stretches like that are what have kept the Wolverines alive throughout the season, and it just never came against the Blue Devils. May has a couple of things to clean up with this team, but they are still exactly who we said they are early last week — a national championship contender.
