To say the Michigan men’s basketball team’s offense looked inept on Wednesday night would be an understatement.
In a 72-51 loss to North Carolina, the 24th-ranked Wolverines shot just 35% from the field — including a 5-of-16 mark from downtown — on their way to a third early-season loss. Through seven games, the team's record sits at 4-3 with a trio of unranked losses.
Last year, Michigan didn’t lose a third game until its final regular season contest. On Wednesday, the Wolverines reached three losses less than a month into the regular season. And right now, fundamental offensive flaws are the main reason why defeats keep stacking up.
The Tar Heels have not been a good defensive team by any stretch. They entered Wednesday ranked 114th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom, after allowing at least 80 points in four of their first five games. Loyola Maryland and Brown looked like offensive juggernauts against North Carolina, while Michigan couldn’t buy a bucket at times.
“We’ve just got to do a better job executing (offensive) plays,” fifth-year guard Eli Brooks said. “They forced us out of our sets. That played a big part of the drought.”
At this point, some of the Wolverines’ offensive issues are a trickle-down effect. Starting point guard DeVante’ Jones, a graduate transfer from Coastal Carolina, won the Sun Belt Player of the Year award a season ago after averaging 19.3 points. But he’s grappled with foul trouble so far this season, and even when he’s on the floor, he’s shown an inability to adjust to the higher level of competition.
In Michigan’s last two games, Jones has tallied just four points and four assists. He’s turned the ball over an eye-opening eight times, often ending Michigan’s possessions before the Wolverines can even generate a good look. For a sputtering offense, a turnover-prone point guard who is struggling to facilitate is a major red flag.
Despite the lopsided final score, Michigan trailed by just two at halftime. Things didn’t unravel until All-American center Hunter Dickinson picked up two fouls on the same possession early in the second half, sending him to the bench for an extended stretch with four fouls. That’s when the Tar Heels opened up a 17-6 run to put the game out of reach.
Without Dickinson on the floor, the Wolverines scored just nine points in more than 10 minutes. To put it bluntly, the offense looked like a logjam.
“He’s a heavy part of our offense, so we’re in different plays that don’t revolve around him particularly,” Brooks said. “But as we saw, Moussa (Diabate) is a good option at the ‘5,’ but he’s not the same presence as Hunter. We’re in a different place. At the start of the second half, we tried to get him going. Fouls just played a big part in it.”
Added Michigan coach Juwan Howard: “It’s tough when you miss one of your best players who generates a lot of that offense for us. (Dickinson) played very limited minutes, especially in the second half when we needed to score.”
But the issues run deeper than Dickinson’s absence. The Wolverines have struggled from beyond the 3-point arc, shooting a combined 29% from deep so far this season. That’s way down from last year’s 38% clip. Until Michigan proves it can shoot, defenses won’t stop clogging the interior and making life difficult for Dickinson.
Last season, Dickinson’s pick-and-roll worked so well with point guard Mike Smith because opposing defenses couldn’t help off Isaiah Livers and Franz Wagner on the wings. With both Livers and Wagner now in the NBA, the Wolverines are in desperate need of consistent 3-point shooters to emerge.
Brooks, who is shooting a team-best 42% from deep, has tried offering words of wisdom.
“Shoot it with confidence,” Brooks said. “A lot of people just have to gain their confidence back and believe in themselves. One thing we talk about is trust and being able to trust ourselves and others.”
With Big Ten play set to tip off next week, the Wolverines are running low on time to rediscover that trust.
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