Michigan basketball didn't cover the spread on Saturday against the Oregon Ducks, but that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
It's hard to win in the Big Ten. It's even harder to win in the Big Ten, on the road. The Wolverines controlled the game early and grabbed an 11-point lead in the first half.
However, Oregon started gaining momentum. Morez Johnson picked up a third foul. Dusty May actually picked up a technical and Oregon even took the lead into the break.
Then, Aday Mara established control in the second half. The Wolverines didn't have a great offensive game, but it was good enough to win. Michigan basketball connected on nine 3-pointers (39 percent). They also held Oregon below 50 percent on 2-point attempts, while shooting 58 percent.
That was still below the season average, which makes it four games in a row that's happened. Oregon was missing its top two players; however, the Ducks still have a talented roster, which was on full display on Sunday.
Yet, Michigan held them to 42 percent from the field and just 33 percent from deep. That wasn't going to be enough to beat the Wolverines. Elliot Cadeau was the leading scorer with 17 points. He added five assists but was credited with four turnovers, too. Yaxel Lendeborg was 1 of 6 from the field. He pitched in with 10 boards after scoring just six.
Mara and Morez Johnson combined for 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Will Tschetter made two big triples, as did LJ Cason. All things considered, a win is a win. Here are some observations.
Michigan basketball should be thankful to be 2-0
The Wolverines didn't play their best basketball and still won two games in the Pacific Northwest by double digits. If people are complaining about that, well, that's certainly a choice.
Michigan could play better, no question. Yet, winning on the road in conference play isn't something to scoff at, and the defense only allowed 30 points in the second half on Saturday.
Wolverines need more from Yaxel Lendeborg
It's rare Yaxel struggles. He will go through some slumps at times, but the Wolverines need more than six points from their star player.
That will be fine against Oregon. Not everyone is going to play well in every game, although Lendeborg has been held under 14 points in five straight games. He has scored in single digits twice in the past five games, which isn't going to cut it.
The energy isn't good enough
It's not easy to play two games, two time zones away. That being said, Oregon clearly had more energy than Michigan in the first half.
Dusty May even mentioned it at halftime. The Wolverines played with more energy in the second half. They set the tone early in the second half, especially Mara in the paint.
Moving forward, though, Michigan basketball needs to be ready to take the best shot of every team. That's what the Wolverines have been getting, but haven't always seemed ready for it.