The odds were that, eventually, Michigan was going to lose a game. Many thought a Big Ten juggernaut like Michigan State, Purdue, Illinois, or even Nebraska would be the ones to do it. Instead, Wisconsin stole the honor.
Battling back from a 14-point first-half deficit, the Badgers rode an explosive second half to stun the Wolverines in Crisler Center, 91-88.
Michigan drops to 4-1 in conference play and has a chance to rebound on a west-coast road trip to Washington and then Oregon next week. Over their last few games, the Wolverines haven’t looked like the dominant version of themselves that they were in December and January, but they’ll try to return to that form before the most grueling stretch of Big Ten play rolls around.
Here are five key takeaways from Michigan’s first loss of the season…
Switch-Heavy Defense Was Exploited
Out of halftime, Wisconsin was on fire from deep. It hit all seven of its first seven 3-pointers, most of which were wide open. It wasn’t by pure chance, Badgers head coach Greg Gard used the Wolverines’ scheme against them.
Michigan switches one-through-four, and puts Mara into drop-coverage on ball-screens. This has worked quite well for the Wolverines this season, but Wisconsin’s pick-and-pop exploited the weakness.
With Mara immediately dropping into the lane on ball-screens, the Badgers’ big guys — forwards Aleksas Bieliauskas and Nolan Winter, both of whom are capable shooters — faded to the 3-point line. If they didn’t have an open shot themselves, they had forced Michigan’s defense into scramble mode, creating a wide-open look elsewhere.
With this tape out there, other Big Ten teams now have a blue print on how to beat the Wolverines. Not every team will shoot lights out like the Badgers did, and Michigan will certainly make adjustments, but the cat’s out of the bag.
Michigan Let Wisconsin Back In
With less than eight minutes left in the first half, Michigan held a 14-point lead at 31-17. When they’ve been at their best, the Wolverines bury their opponents at this point, not letting them back into the game. Instead, they let Wisconsin close the half on a 20-7 run and shrink the halftime deficit to just one point.
What has made Michigan so good so far this year has been its ability to demoralize teams early, and it couldn’t do that Saturday. The energy level fell when the lead got comfortable, something that hasn’t been an issue to this point.
Elliot Cadeau’s Explosive Start To Second Half
The Wolverines were able to stay in the game even when the Badgers couldn’t miss from three, and junior guard Elliot Cadeau is the reason.
After going scoreless in the first half, Cadeau scored 17 points in the first seven minutes of the second half, putting the team on his shoulders and keeping Wisconsin within striking distance. He hit two threes, was able to get to the rim at will, and hit big free throws.
The performance didn’t result in a win, but seeing Cadeau’s confidence scoring the ball is a great sign moving forward.
Bench Production Falters
One of Michigan’s main advantages is its bench depth. It doesn’t simply rely on starters for production, and often, the bench unit comes in and takes the play to another level. That wasn’t the case Saturday.
Senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. had nine points on 4-for-10 shooting, and freshman guard Trey McKenney added seven points on 2-for-8 shooting. That was the extent of the bench production, as senior forward Will Tschetter had just two points, and sophomore guard L.J. Cason had none.
The starters took the majority of the load on offense while the bench had an off night. When the Wolverines are at their best, the two units play off of each other, and they didn’t against Wisconsin.
Michigan Still Has Everything In Front Of It
After all of the dominance of Michigan’s first 14 games, this loss gave some whiplash, but the Wolverines were inevitably going to drop a game. Every good team goes through ups and downs, and in tournament season, both the peaks and the valleys provide lessons to draw upon.
The good news for the Wolverines is that they are still 14-1, and everything they want to achieve is still right there in front of them. One loss at the start of January is hardly a reason for panic, so long as it doesn’t precede a total breakdown. And head coach Dusty May and his track record provides no reason to assume that Michigan won’t bounce back.
Eli Trese
Source link