Michigan Basketball vs Illinois: 3 Takeaways from the Wolverines Loss
Michigan needs more from the bench
Of course, the picture always looks rosier in non-conference play, when the teams you play are often ranked in the low 100’s, the 200’s or the 300’s. But, it certainly appeared as though Michigan basketball would have a little deeper bench than it does.
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And now that the Wolverines are playing solid teams night in and night out, with no real cupcakes, it’s catching up to them. Against Illinois, the Michigan bench was outscored 28 to 9. In fact, two Illini players, scored 10 points or more off the bench, while four Wolverines combined for nine.
Yet, it was much the same story last Saturday in a loss to Maryland. The Terps got a solid 19 points from the bench. The Wolverines got just eight.
Now, bench points don’t necessarily decide every game, but when you are getting outscored by 10 or even 20 points, it’s not going to bode well for your chances of winning.
So guys like Duncan Robinson (when he’s not starting), Mark Donnal and Xavier Simpson need to step up.