Michigan Wolverines basketball went to the wire with Oregon, and fell short in a 71-70 overtime thriller.
Here's some takeaways from the home loss.
1) U-M took some time to wake up
Today's noon start was really at 9 AM Pacific Time for Oregon, but it was the Wolverines that took much too long to get into the flow of the game.
U-M couldn't buy a bucket early in the first half, starting 3 for 17 from the field, until sophomore guard David DeJulius entered the game. He and sophomore forward Brandon Johns provided the spark U-M needed to scratch and claw its way back into the game.
DeJulius had 12 points at the halftime break, helping U-M pull within eight. Then, other U-M players joined him in stepping up to the task. Freshman guard Franz Wagner lifted the team in the second half, making all five of his field goals, including two crucial three-pointers. He had 13 in the second half. After a first half in which Wagner's +/- was -13, he turned things around. The same goes for junior forward Isaiah Livers, who was non existent in the first half, but broke out for 13 points in the second stanza. Johns and DeJulius both continued their solid play in the half, which ultimately allowed the Wolverines to force overtime before coming up short.
2) Small ball worked
So far this season, we haven't seen much of lineups without one of senior center Jon Teske, sophomore forward Colin Castleton or redshirt junior forward Austin Davis. This afternoon, lineups with Johns at the five position were most effective, for much of the game. Teske, like Wagner, struggled in the first half. He was a -13 in +/-.
Johns sliding down to the five allowed U-M to help much better on drivers in the lane (something they struggled with against Illinois and early in this one), and to contest shots on the outside. U-M had the size advantage on the Ducks, but it wasn't working in their favor early on. This was a good adjustment by head coach Juwan Howard that he went with late in the first half, and went back to for most of the late second half. However, one of the situations where the Wolverines could've used Teske's height and length was on the final tip-in attempt at the end of the game. Nonetheless, U-M showed its versatility in lineups this afternoon, and how effective small ball can be.
This year, Howard has shown his trust in the bench players when they have it rolling. It may be his background in the NBA, where the hot hands usually play and remain in the game. Whatever it is, Howard showed again today that he was riding what worked. He did so until the end.
