Michigan basketball jumped out to an early 13-point lead over Wake Forest in a non-conference matchup between members of the Big Ten and ACC. But despite carrying a four-point lead into halftime, the Wolverines came up just short against the Demon Deacons.
It's the first loss of the Dusty May era, and the Wolverines fall to 1-1 on the season. Here are three takeaways from the entertaining game.
Offense goes cold. Anomaly or trend?
Michigan was never going to consistently score 90 points per game. The Wolverines put up 92 and 96 in the two exhibition games, and they dropped 101 on Cleveland State on Monday night. Of course, Oakland, Toledo and the Vikings aren't the best of opponents, but it was encouraging to see Michigan's offense firing on all cylinders.
However, the high-powered, fast-paced offensive attack was neutralized on Sunday afternoon by the Demon Deacons. The Wolverines scored 70 points in the loss, and not only did the team shoot poorly, but no player other than Sam Walters had a particularly good shooting day.
Michigan shot just 42.1 percent from the floor and 30.3 percent from beyond the arc in the defeat. The Wolverines connected on just two of their 16 shots from distance in the second half.
Although it was a poor shooting performance from May's team, the Wolverines did make 12-of-15 from the free throw line, which was an area the team had struggled in throughout the first three contests.
Only two games in, but rebounding continues to be a concern
Cleveland State hauled in 20 offensive rebounds against Michigan on Monday night. It didn't matter in the grand scheme of things as the Wolverines cruised to a 48-point victory, but it was something to monitor for Dusty May's team going forward — giving up 20 offensive rebounds to a Horizon League team is not ideal.
But the Wolverines were poor on the defensive glass on Sunday afternoon, too. Late in the second half, Wake Forest had two offensive rebounds that allowed the Demon Deacons to take valuable time off the clock as Michigan looked to come from behind.
By the end of the game, Wake Forest grabbed 11 offensive boards, and a pair of them came during a critical moment in the game.
With two 7-footers on the roster and rotating in and out throughout the game, one would think Michigan would have no problem securing rebounds left and right. But with May's quick, transition style of play, oftentimes the desire to get out and run can open up an opportunity for the opponent to potentially grab more rebounds than it should.
Michigan needs more from its big men
The key storyline heading into the first season with Dusty May at the helm was how Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf played alongside each other and whether both could contribute at a high level.
Wolf and Goldin have started at the '4' and '5,' respectively, in each of the team's first two games, but it's been tough sledding for both big men as they adjust to life in the Maize and Blue.
Wolf was fantastic in Monday's season-opening win over Cleveland State with 19 points and 13 rebounds, but he did turn the ball over five times. Turnovers proved to be a problem for Wolf yet again on Sunday afternoon. The Yale transfer coughed it up six times in the loss and only managed four points.
But Goldin, who May brought with him from Florida Atlantic, has struggled mightily to start the season. The 7-footer scored just two points on one shot against Cleveland State (although, to be fair Michigan didn't need him to do anything more than that), and he tallied eight points on five shots in the loss to Wake Forest. He also committed four fouls.
Wolf showed flashes against a Horizon League squad, but if Michigan is going to be competitive in Big Ten play, it will need significantly better play from its two transfer big men.
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