ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sometimes old habits die hard. In the case of the Michigan basketball program this year, those habits like to come back around at the worst time possible. After what appeared to be an encouraging victory over Purdue this week, the Wolverines followed it up with a 68-57 loss to Ohio State on Saturday.
Below are three quick takeaways from the loss.
1. No answer for E.J. Liddell
In the Wolverines' previous game against Purdue, U-M was able to minimize the impact of the likes of Zach Edey and Jaden Ivey, which helped key a blowout victory. Against the Buckeyes, however, there were no answers for the star player. E.J. Liddell was all over the floor for the Buckeyes, whether it was shooting from the outside, crashing the glass, or being disruptive on the defensive end, U-M had zero answers. Liddell led all scorers with 28 points, going 100% from the free-throw line, securing five rebounds and three blocks. Overall night, a star player did star-like things that helped his team to victory.
2. Outside shooting woes rear their ugly head
During Michigan's big win over Purdue, the Wolverines shot 12-20 from beyond the arc. Against the Buckeyes, the shooting went cold from the outside which seems to be a common occurrence for the Wolverines this season. While being able to get good looks from the floor, the shots from outside simply weren't falling. If you're not grabbing the offensive rebounds and getting second-chance buckets, your chances of winning the game decrease dramatically. The Wolverines finished the game shooting a dismal 4-17 from three, an 23.5% clip. While U-M tried, it couldn't win a game making shots almost exclusively from within six-feet out from the rim. The good looks need to fall and, sometimes, a little luck when the tough shots fall. U-M had none of that on Saturday.
3. One step forward, two steps back
Another characteristic of this year's team is the inability to create any sort of good habits on a consistent basis. When you think the program turned the corner with a big win over the Boilermakers, the Wolverines revert right back to its old ways. Unforced turnovers, mental errors and cold shooting among many others. With the Wolverines having a golden opportunity to get a resume-boosting win over the Buckeyes, it fell flat on its face in front of an energized crowd at Crisler. With March slowly creeping over the horizon, the opportunities to punch its ticket to the NCAA tournament are dwindling and dwindling fast.
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