Wolverine Watch: Michigan's Cold Streak Intensifies The Heat

Michigan’s home loss against Penn State on Wednesday might not represent a full Break-Glass-In-Case-Of-Emergency scenario.

But Juwan Howard probably has a hammer in his hand.

This one left the Wolverines — not to mention their fans — feeling nastier than an offensive lineman treated to a plate of celery stalks for dinner.

Howard’s crew shot like they were still in a road venue — with the lights turned out. They connected on 35.3 percent overall, a rim-denting 17.9 percent (5-for-28) from long range.

They didn’t defend well at times. Worst of all, they didn’t show enough promise down the stretch to keep thousands from flooding out of the building to get a head start on the drive home.

Suddenly, the team that began 7-0, champions of the Battle-4-Atlantis with an eye-opening win over Gonzaga, has lost three straight. That hasn’t happened around here since 2014-15, the last time Michigan didn’t make the NCAA Tournament.

The voice of the Wolverines on Michigan Radio, Brian Boesch, noted what everyone — coaches included — witnessed regarding the home pratfall.

“They didn’t have the necessary effort behind them to win the game,” Boesch said. “It’s been there. We’ve seen it a lot. We saw it in Iowa on Friday.

“But in this league, this particular year, you’ve got to bring it, every single game.”

Boesch heard a message in Howard’s words after the contest. The first-year U-M boss went from talking about his team as “solution-based” following the setback at Iowa to needing to “work on our habits” after Penn State.

“That shows me, hey, I feel like they took a step back, in the eyes of the coaching staff,” Boesch said. “Look, that’s going to happen. I don’t think it’s time to panic quite yet. But this team needs to bounce back, both from an execution perspective and from an effort perspective.”

This team clearly needs the return of junior forward Isaiah Livers, out more than a month with an injury. But it needs more than that, the Wolverines demonstrated Wednesday.

It needs freshman forward Franz Wagner and junior guard Eli Brooks to not combine to shoot 2-for-13 from three-point range. It requires senior point guard Zavier Simpson faring better than 8-for-23 overall with six turnovers because he’s trying too hard to create.

In short, it needs to get back to what it showed it can be, early in the season. And quickly.

Illinois hits town on Saturday, with a win already recorded against the Wolverines this year. The Illini sit a half-game behind league leader Michigan State and represent a tough out, venue notwithstanding.

Brooks noted after the Penn State loss: “It was big. You’ve got to win at home, to win the Big Ten. Since I’ve been here, you’re in contention if you win your Big Ten games at home.”

You’re almost never in contention if you start out 2-5 in the league. And if you go 0-2 on an all-home week, the conversation changes altogether.

Boesch still believes this group can dance — and dance well — come March. But he knows it’s not a given.

“I think no question this team’s a tournament team with Isaiah Livers, and I think it’s a pretty dangerous one,” Boesch said. “In terms of where they are right now, I think it’s a fringe team for that tournament picture, because of what we’ve seen.

“And here’s the reality. Remember Indiana last year. Indiana had ample Quad 1 opportunities, and just didn’t get enough wins. You don’t have to go .500 or better in Quad 1 opportunities. You just don’t. But you have to win more than your fair share.

“No doubt, Michigan has had a really challenging schedule. But eventually, close losses, understandable losses — that’s not going to get it done.”

With 13 Big Ten games remaining, Howard’s crew has 10 or 11 NCAA Tournament-quality opponents it will face, Boesch pointed out. The Wolverines need to look much more like the team that took down Gonzaga and much less the crew that caved to PSU to make some noise.

“Every time you get a win the rest of the season, it’s a legitimate win,” Boesch insisted. “But as we learned with a team like Indiana last year, you can’t go 3-12 in those kind of games and expect to get in.

“For this Michigan team, this is a big stretch — no doubt. This is absolutely an NCAA Tournament-quality team. But in the Big Ten, it’s a little different this year … this is legit.

“They’ve got the roster that would scare the crap out of some teams come March. They’ve just got to find a way to get there, and I think they’ve got the capability to do it. But they’ve got to win some games.”

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