It wasn't pretty. At times, for Michigan basketball, it was downright ugly against Wake Forest in what ended up as an 85-84 overtime win.
After shooting the lights out last week against Oakland, Michigan basketball shot just 16 percent from 3-point range on Tuesday in Detroit. One of those came from Roddy Gayle with just over a minute left to tie the game.
Eventually, the game went into overtime. Shots still weren't falling for the Wolverines but Elliot Cadeau made 1/2 free throws with 6.6 seconds left. Then, Michigan's defense locked down the win with a final defensive stop.
Michigan basketball is 2-0. Here are the gut reactions.
Jekyll and Hyde
Jekyll and Hyde is the perfect way to describe Michigan's shooting. After making 19 treys against Oakland last week, the Wolverines couldn't buy a bucket from deep. They were 0-for-9 at one point in the second before Roddy Gayle ended the cold spell.
At one point, Michigan led by 13 right before half. Then, the wheels fell off, in part, because the Wolverines couldn't make a jump shot. Wake Forest packed things in, were aggressive with double teams, and just dared Michigan to make a shot.
One game after it couldn't miss, Michigan didn't make Wake Forest pay. That's why this game was close and Michigan was nearly upset as a 15-point favorite.
Michigan's defense deserves the credit
The Demon Deacons made 10 3-pointers. They had an 18-point advantage from beyond the arc. Yet, the reason Michigan basketball won the game was holding Wake to 38 percent on 2-point attempts.
Led by Aday Mara and Morez Johnson, Michigan shot 64 percent on 2-point attempts. The Wolverines also had a nine-point edge at the free-throw line. Wake attempted 22 more shots from the field, but the Michigan defense held the Demon Deacons to 35 percent overall and 29 percent from deep.
It was an up-tempo game but the Wolverines defense was up to the task, even as the offense struggled in the second half.
Michigan basketball doesn't win without Aday Mara
The 7-foot-3 big man played 37 minutes for the Wolverines. As impressive as that was, his final stat line was even better with 18 points (8-of-11), 13 rebounds, six assists, and five blocks. If you want to know why Wake Forest struggled in the paint, Mara was the reason.
The UCLA transfer has looked like a first-round pick. His low-post scoring ability has been a focal point, plus his defense and playmaking have been better than expected.
Wake was able to get downhill and score some with him in drop coverage. All in all though, Mara held up well and is the rim protector Michigan didn't have last season. He's also not a guy who has to play part-time minutes anymore.
Mara has played like an All-Big Ten center, which is a great development after two games.