Michigan Basketball: 3 takeaways from Wolverines win over Montana

If UM is going to advance again, Wagner needs to wake up

The game against Montana was strange for a lot of reasons. For one, it was really late and ended up not finishing until Friday morning on the East coast.

Yet, that was far from the only thing. The clock malfunction in the second half delayed the game for around 10 minutes and both teams played really sloppy afterwards. However, the biggest surprise might have been Michigan basketball winning with Moe Wagner scoring just three points.

Wagner, an All-Big Ten selection, played possibly the worst game of his career against the Grizzlies. He opened the game with a travel and had a few really weird turnovers. A couple times, he simply lost control of the ball for no apparent reason.

Thankfully, the defense and Charles Matthews saved the day. The Kentucky transfer scored 20 points and grabbed 11 boards. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman also added 11 points, eight in the second half. But against a talent Houston team, that won’t be enough. Wagner needs to do much more.

Therefore, every Michigan fan needs to really hope that the game against Montana was nothing but an aberration, because it not, it’s hard to see UM getting past the Cougars.