(I know this is coming a few days late, but Friday nights aren't really optimal times for blogging. My bad.)
Anyway, that was a stinker - but it's a little bit expected. Let's gather the evidence:
1.) First away game for the young Wolverines
Yes, the sophomores have notched a season under their belt, but without that strong upperclassman presence, it's relatively hard to get it going on the road. The same happened last year against then-No. 19 Kansas last year (77-66).
2.) The Wolverines are extremely weak on the inside
But man, that was bad. The Golden Eagles' tallest players are listed at 6'3" and were still able to boss around Michigan in the paint - +6 o-rebs for Marquette. If this is the way it's gonna be all season, the Wolverines must limit the turnovers (10-12 max). Second chance points are bad enough - add points off turnovers, and you've got disaster written all over it.
3.) Michigan is cold coming out of the break
Coach Borseth admitted in his post-game quote that his team had no rhythm offensively - .362 from the field. But what's alarming is how sluggish the Wolverines come out after the break. They didn't score a point until 5:37 passed by in the second half. Against Alcorn State, Michigan went about 3.5 minutes without a point after a quick bucket to start the half. Xavier turned a three-point lead to 14 (its largest) following halftime.
Indiana State will be an interesting matchup for the Wolverines. I think the Sycamores size up fairly evenly and like the Wolverines, stuck around in games with ranked teams. To throw a little history into the fire, Indiana State is 2-0 against Michigan in Terra Haute.
Don't think we'll get around to an all-out preview tomorrow, so just in case, tomorrow's game is at 7:05p. You can follow it on WTKA AM 1050 or online at MGoBlue.com.
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