The past three games have been a little rocky for Michigan basketball. Dusty May's team didn't cover the spread in any of those games, but they also went 3-0.
Michigan basketball is 4-0 on the season. The Wolverines blew the doors off of Oakland, shooting the lights out and scoring 121 points.
Since then, Michigan hasn't made more than five 3-pointers in a game. Over the past three, they have been shooting a combined 21 percent. Yet, they keep winning.
3-point shooting is critical. Middle Tennessee State won that battle, which wasn't hard to predict. Yet, when the other dominates on every other front, it doesn't matter that much.
As it has all season, Michigan owned the paint. The Wolverines earned 26 free-throw attempts compared to 12 for the Blue Raiders. MTSU also shot just 32 percent on 2-point attempts (11-of-32).
Michigan basketball, on the other hand, made 26-of-42 on 2-pointers. They made 19 free throw attempts compared to nine, had more offensive rebounds (11-10), and more rebounds total (45-34).
It wasn't pretty. Michigan didn't pull away until early in the second half, but it's clear that Dusty May is tinkering. Most of his team is new. Outside of Nimari Burnett, Will Tschetter, LJ Cason and Roddy Gayle, the other players are all new pieces.
Sometimes, Michigan is starting four new players, and most of the time, the Wolverines are starting five players together who didn't play together last season, with Wednesday being the exception as Will Tscehtter got the start along with Morez Johnson, Yaxel Lendeborg, Nimari Burnett, and Elliot Cadeau.
Inside scoring isn't the only reason Michigan basketball is winning. We'll get to that, but here are three things we learned from Wednesday's 86-61 win.
Dusty May is trying to figure it out
May said after the game that Will Tschetter started for a few different reasons. He mentioned how they are trying different combinations. The head coach also said that Mara missed practice. He didn't say why but Mara still logged a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) coming off the bench.
My favorite lineup with this team stlll features Yaxel at the four. However, the two-big lineup with Lendeborg at the three has plenty of advantages.
Yaxel is good enough to guard the wing. Morez is athletic enough to switch 1-4 and Mara is a force at the rim, and in the low block. It's understandable why you would want all three players on the floor as much as possible.
May needs to keep playing with that lineup. It also has to have limits, because at times, it makes Yaxel feel like a glorified floor spacer.
Defense does the trick
The most encouraging thing about this team is the defense. it feels like May built it with that end of the floor in mind, because elite defensive teams win championships.
Yaxel is as good a defender as there is in the Big Ten. You could say the same about Mara as a shot blocker. Jonnson affects quite a few shots, too, and their rebounding is outstanding.
Rebounding shouldn't be an issue against any opponent this season. It will be. But there won't be any obvious mismatches. This team is tough and phyiscal. It's long and it defends.
Michigan basketball is fifth in adjusted defense according to Kenpom, after allowing Middle Tennessee State to score just 0.77 points per possession.
The offense is figuring things out. Michigan's defense is too, in a sense, but it's already elite and will only continue to improve.
Deja vu
It's starting to feel like last season when it comes to 3-point shooting. Michigan basketball made 19 in the opener. The Wolverines have only made 14 in the past three games.
Michigan doesn't need to hit 19 treys in every game. However, U-M hasn't made even five 3-pointers in a game since the opener.
As dominant as the Wolverines are down low, against top-tier competition, that won't cut it. We saw how it kept things close against Wake Forest and TCU.
3-point shooting was always a worry about this roster. Trey McKenney was 1-for-7 on Wednesday night. Nimari Burnett was 0-for-3. Those are the guys you want shooting the ball. They just need to make more shots.
You hope and believe they will, based on their history. Roddy Gayle is shooting the ball better, and Tschetter is Tschetter.
This is something to keep an eye on going forward, though. Michigan is 215th in 3-point percentage, even after hitting 19 in the opener.