Published Dec 18, 2024
Three takeaways: Michigan falters late, comes up just short against OU
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Brock Heilig  •  Maize&BlueReview
Staff Writer
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Michigan led for more than 31 minutes over undefeated Oklahoma on Wednesday night, and the Wolverines led by three with less than 20 seconds remaining. Worst case scenario, the game is tied and Michigan has the ball, right? Wrong.

True freshman Jeremiah Fears sank an and-one 3-pointer to tie the game, and he drilled the free throw to give the Sooners the lead.

Michigan failed to score on the ensuing possession, and Oklahoma remains undefeated. The Wolverines fall to 8-3 on the season. Here are three takeaways from the heartbreaking loss.

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Area 50-1 is borderline unstoppable

One of the first takeaways of the season was that Michigan's big men, Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin, needed to play much better in order for Michigan to be successful. In the Wolverines' 72-70 loss to Wake Forest, the duo combined for just 12 points, seven rebounds and a whopping six turnovers.

It didn't take the big men long after the Wake Forest loss to figure things out. The 4-5 pick and roll has been dominant as of late, and the dynamic duo were just as effective on Wednesday night against the Sooners.

Although the Wolverines lost, Wolf and Goldin have figured things out. They combined for 41 points on 16-22 shooting with 20 rebounds.

It hasn't yielded any wins against the tough teams on the non-conference schedule, but the two big men have proven and will continue to be a problem in Big Ten play.

But the guards need to pick up their play

Tre Donaldson and Roddy Gayle Jr. combined for 29 points, but the guards did not have a great night against Oklahoma. The three starting guards, Donaldson, Gayle Jr. and Nimari Burnett, combined to shoot just 1-16 from beyond the arc in the loss.

Michigan has been able to start the Big Ten season 2-0, but Wolf and Goldin can't dominate every game. They'll get their fair share of points and rebounds, but Michigan needs much more consistent production out of its guards.

In the weeks leading up to the season, the discussion was centered around who Michigan's go-to player would be in the crunch time. Last week against Arkansas, it appeared to be Gayle Jr. on a backdoor cut.

Wolf's pass was a touch early, but the vision was there for Gayle Jr. to score the game-tying layup.

On Wednesday night against Oklahoma, there didn't appear to be any plan. Donaldson attempted a desperation 3-point shot that hit the back iron, and Wolf tossed up a prayer at the buzzer after hauling in the offensive rebound.

It's becoming more apparent that Michigan doesn't have a go-to ball-dominant guard that can go and score a bucket. That will be a problem for the Wolverines later on in the season.

Michigan needs to learn how to close teams out and finish

The Wolverines have lost three games this season by a combined five points. That's almost impossible to do. Some would say it's bad luck. And maybe it is. Jeremiah Fears hit some incredible shots down the stretch to bury the Wolverines.

But at a certain point, Dusty May and Michigan must be criticized for not being able to finish basketball games. Michigan led by 11 points with less than 10 minutes to go in the game on Wednesday, and it ended up losing.

And during last Tuesday's loss to Arkansas, Michigan was up by 15 points early and surrendered a 33-point swing, resulting in an 18-point deficit.

One of the weaknesses of this Michigan team so far has been playing with a lead, and it cost the Wolverines in a big way against undefeated Oklahoma.

Let the criticism begin, because 11 games into the Dusty May era, the Wolverines have already proven they cannot play with a lead.

Michigan will take on Purdue Fort Wayne at home on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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