Michigan Wolverines basketball is 1-0 after a 79-71 win over Appalachian State in the season opener. It was the first game for new Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard. The next game for U-M is Nov. 12 at Crisler Center against Creighton.
Here's some thoughts and takeaways from the game:
RELATED: Howard, Players Postgame Videos
RELATED: Instant Recap: Wolverines Hold Off App. State, 79-71
1) Scoring droughts could become a trend
It might be early to call something a trend after watching just an exhibition game and one regular season game, but the scoring droughts are undoubtedly concerning. In the exhibition on Friday night against Saginaw Valley State, U-M was held scoreless for 6:09, missing 8 straight field goals late in the first half.
Against Appalachian State, U-M went through several offensive woes. The worst of it came in the second half. The Wolverines did not score a single point from the 9:30 mark to the 1:31 mark, before junior forward Isaiah Livers ended the drought with a layup.
U-M took a 30-point lead with 14:27 left in the game and looked to be rolling the Mountaineers. After that point, Appalachian State outscored U-M 34-12, making it way too close for comfort late in the game. The Wolverines finished the game missing 8 of their last 9 field goal attempts.
Of course, U-M is adjusting to a new offense under Juwan Howard, but the droughts are for far too long, especially against the level of opponents in the exhibition game and against Appalachian State in the regular season opener.
"In the second half when we had the scoring drought, we stopped playing defense," Howard said postgame. "We lost our mental stability.
"You just have to play the game. Every possession matters, every possession counts."
Howard also said that the turnovers and the frustration that came in result of the turnovers led to their lack of effectiveness on both ends of the floor in the second half.
U-M had far too many turnovers, having 17 of them. They seem to be pressing at times, and not as comfortable going at such a rapid pace. The turnovers were a big factor in the scoring droughts. At one point, they had 8 turnovers in 8 minutes, something that can't happen.
"We had some silly turnovers in the second half," senior center Jon Teske said. "We forced some passes that weren't there. If it's not there, pull it out and run more offense, use more shot clock."
