Michigan Basketball’s recent close calls are due to a number of factors, but head coach Dusty May particularly attributed it to rough first-half performances:
The Michigan Wolverines survived two tough West Coast tests last week, defeating the Washington Huskies and the Oregon Ducks by 10 points in each game. Road tests in the Big Ten are never easy, and despite putting together numerous 40-point wins in the first half the season, January has been a tougher experience for head coach Dusty May and his team.
Michigan has not played its best ball since its 30-point win vs USC on Jan. 2, , and it has gutted out a few close calls. There are many factors that can be attributed to the dip in performance in the middle of the season, but according to May, one of the biggest red flags in recent weeks has been the Wolverines’ first-half play.
Through the first two months of the season, Michigan was averaging nearly 51 points per game in the first half. Turnovers weren’t a major issue, the Wolverines were converting on three-point shots, and the depth was getting significant minutes.
However, the last four games tell a very different story. Since Michigan’s close loss to Wisconsin, it is averaging 39 points in the first half of games, along with hitting an abysmal 26 percent of its three-pointers. Additionally, the Wolverines are averaging six turnovers per first half and are getting into early foul trouble that has forced starters to spend extended periods on the bench, like Morez Johnson Jr. against Oregon on Saturday.
Speaking of that Oregon game, the Wolverines were down 41-40 heading into halftime after being up by double digits at one point. May spoke about the team’s first-half performance following the game.
“We were just flat. We weren’t playing with the physicality we needed to,” May said about his team’s first half efforts against Oregon. “…In a nutshell, I felt like we were disrespecting the game (in the first half).We weren’t playing up to our standards or our potential.”
Oregon got busy on the offensive glass early and turned second-chance opportunities into buckets, with six offensive rebounds leading to an 11-4 advantage in second-chance points. Johnson played just five minutes in the first half due to two early fouls. And while May tried to get him back in with nine minutes left, he lasted just 48 seconds before he was called for his third foul of the game. To top it off, Michigan missed its last seven looks of the half, going the final 6:34 of the opening frame without a field goal.
Michigan did plug the necessary holes to dominate in the second half, largely due to the Wolverines’ 22-6 margin in bench points, Nimari Burnett’s 15 points and Elliot Cadeau’s team-high 17 points. Furthermore, Michigan was only called for only four fouls in the second half compared to nine in the first half.
If Michigan can be consistent and play well in both halves, it can easily get back to its dominating ways we saw early in the season.
Michigan returns home to host Indiana on Tuesday night and Ohio State on Friday night. The Wolverines are favored by 15 points in both games, per KenPom, with an 84.6 percent chance to go 2-0.
The Wolverines have the talent, the size and the right coach to lead them to the promised land, but they will need to play clean basketball and “respect” the game more moving forward to achieve their lofty goals.
Category: General Sports
