Both versions of the Michigan men’s basketball team were on display during Thursday’s Big Ten Tournament meltdown against Indiana.
At one point, the Wolverines were sitting pretty with a 17-point lead in the second half. Michigan looked like a well-oiled machine, playing through its All-American and staying true to its strengths at both ends of the floor. The Wolverines looked like the team that debuted this season at No. 6 in the AP Poll and climbed into the top five a week later, building on last season’s outright conference title and NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed.
And then, seemingly at the drop of a hat, it all unraveled.
Over the next seven minutes, Michigan was a shell of its first-half self. The Wolverines, who missed 13 straight shots, looked disjointed at the offensive end and couldn’t get a stop on defense. They committed 10 second-half turnovers and shot just 31% from the field. Before long, Michigan found itself on the wrong end of a 28-4 run en route to a deflating 75-69 defeat.
“We had high aspirations coming into the weekend,” Hunter Dickinson said. “For us to fall short so early is disappointing.”
In reality, the loss serves as a microcosm of the Wolverines’ season. All year long, Michigan has been consistent only in its inconsistency. The Wolverines’ last ten games paint a perfect picture, alternating exactly between wins and losses.
With every encouraging win and momentum-building accomplishment, a disheartening loss follows. Now, the vicious paradox is set to leave Michigan on the edge of its seat come Selection Sunday at the end of this weekend.
“We feel like we had this game,” graduate guard DeVante’ Jones said. “We were up a lot and we let it slip away. We’re definitely mad about that.”
Taking that quote out of Thursday’s context, it can apply to a handful of losses this season. The Wolverines’ lack of consistency isn’t new, nor is their inability to defend a second-half lead. They suffered similar losses against Central Florida, Minnesota and Seton Hall earlier this season, while close games devolved into blowouts in the second half against Michigan State, North Carolina and Illinois.
All season long, Michigan’s leaders have talked about finding ways to win. But in reality, the Wolverines have found more ways to lose. As they fell into a downward spiral against the Hoosiers on Thursday, elementary fundamentals went out the window. Offensive possessions turned into misery heaves as the shot clock buzzer sounded, while defensive lapses repeatedly turned into Indiana dunks.
Most shockingly, Michigan went away from its successful offensive strategy. Hunter Dickinson posted a team-best 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the first half and kicked out to open shooters when the Hoosiers brought double teams. But the Wolverines weren’t able to get touches for Dickinson when Indiana dialed up its ball pressure in the second half, hurling Michigan’s offense off the rails.
“The game was changed with their aggressiveness,” Juwan Howard said.
Added Jones: “They came out playing more physical, they had more effort than us in the second half.”
For a Michigan team that oscillates between the best and worst versions of itself, a small tweak like increased ball pressure is enough to make all the difference. The Wolverines’ inability to recover is a season-long problem that continues to plague them — even in March. The same cannot be said of contending teams.
At this point in the year, teams are supposed to be approaching their peak at the right time. Michigan, however, is still looking for a way out of its valleys.
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