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Three takeaways from Michigan's 72-51 loss to North Carolina

Statbroadcast, the statistics platform available to media members, has a convenient box in the top right that displays trends from the current game. There were at least three times that I noticed Michigan scoring droughts of around three minutes in the trend box; you could probably guess which way this game went from that alone, but factor in North Carolina’s white-hot shooting in the second half and this was a rout.

North Carolina shot 58.1% from the floor in the second half (18-31), including 55.6% three-point shooting (5-9). Michigan had no answer for guard Caleb Love, who finished with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting (4-7 3P) and four assists. Defensive rotations were slow or nonexistent; North Carolina had 10 points off dunks, 18 off layups and a total of 34 points in the paint. North Carolina certainly got hot in the second half, but Michigan has plenty of issues of their own. Here are three of note:

Where are the shooters?

It’s a long season and there are a ton of games left to play, but who are the shooting threats on this team and when are they going to emerge? Two of Michigan’s starters finished in double figures, and those two (Brooks and Diabate) combined for 24 points tonight on 10-of-20 shooting. Not a terrible shooting percentage, but a team can't succeed with the two biggest offensive threats on a given night combining for two more points than one of Carolina's starting guards.

Michigan's other three starters combined for 16 points on 6-of-22 shooting, while the bench chipped in 11 (4-15). DeVante' Jones was able to avoid foul trouble tonight but also had difficulty facilitating anything, particularly once Hunter Dickinson was sent to the bench with foul trouble (more on that later). Jones has been at his best when he gets to the basket, and tonight he was only able to do so three times, missing a layup in the first half and converting two in the second half. He wasn't the only Wolverine who had trouble getting to the basket, though. Michigan could only muster 12 points on layups tonight.

If Michigan can't get to the basket, then their three-point shooting has to shoulder the burden. The only issue is that, at least right now, it can't. Michigan shot 31.3% from deep on 16 attempts against a North Carolina squad that had been allowing 33.1% three-point shooting. The percentages align, but in terms of total points Michigan got just 15 from three-point attempts. A dozen points off layups and 15 points from behind the arc leaves a lot of burden on other twos, and that's not a great recipe for success for a team with talented skewed to the frontcourt.

Hunter Dickinson’s foul trouble threw the offense off kilter

Dickinson picked up two fouls less than 1:30 into the second half, and his four total fouls necessitated an extended visit to the bench. With Dickinson out of the game UNC went on a 20-9 run; Michigan got a layup each from Eli Brooks and Jones, plus a three and bucket from Brandon Johns. The offense still ran through the guards, but without their primary ball-screen threat and the short roll threat and the primary passer out of the post the offense ran to...nowhere in particular. Michigan's still working to figure that out, but not many teams are equipped to handle losing their All-American center and offensive linchpin for 10 minutes in the second half of a close (when he left the game) road contest.

Moussa Diabate isn’t going back to the bench

Diabate got the first start of his young college career and looked ready for the moment in the first half, going 1-of-1 from behind the arc and 4-of-5 inside it for 11 points in 18 minutes. He tested a pullup jumper and his three point shot and each looked serviceable, and his post play will only continue to ascend.

That's not to say that he's an instant solution to Michigan's offensive woes. Like Caleb Houstan, he's learning on the fly and that was apparent in the second half. Diabate went 0-for-3 from the floor and 2-of-2 on free throws in the game's final 20 minutes. His free throws came in the first minute of the second half, and then Diabate disappeared from the scoring sheet despite playing 13 minutes.

Diabate also brings energy and enthusiasm that this team looks like it could use; a rising tide lifts all boats, after all.


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