Michigan basketball let go of a double-digit lead on Sunday and it was a bitter pill to swallow, not only because the Wolverines didn't finish, but also because the playing surface didn't give them a chance.
In a tight game like that, every possession matters. But Michigan basketball players slipped, due to the court being wet, on back-to-back possessions. Both times it led to a turnover and Michigan ended up losing by two, but missed out on two valuable possessions.
It's frustrating. The poor shooting in the second half was too. There were too many turnovers, too many offensive rebounds allowed, and just too many good shots missed. Here are the gut reactions.
Too many extra possessions
Like I said before, every possession counts in a game like this and in the second half, Michigan just had too many turnovers. The Wolverines finished with 15 turnovers compared to 13 for Wake Forest. the Demon Deacons also won the rebounding battle (31-10). They also notched 10 offensive boards compared to nine and in a two-point game, that all mattered.
Vlad Goldin is becoming a concern
Vlad Goldin only scored two points in the season opener and he wasn't much better against Wake Forest. He scored six points and was 3-of-5 from the field but he missed some opportunities by not catching the ball and only pulled down five rebounds.
Wake Forest does a good job of defending the rim and Efton Reid, a one-time Michigan basketball recruit, did a stellar job against Goldin who is averaging four points in two games.
That's not going to be good enough.
Cold shooting comes back for Roddy Gayle
3-point shooting is the X-factor for Roddy Gayle this season. If he shoots around 35 percent, he's got a good chance to be an All-Big Ten seletion, at least on one of the first three teams.
But on Sunday, Gayle didn't shoot the ball well from deep (1-for-5). Gayle shot 30 percent from the field and 20 percent from deep. The transfer did make all four three throw attempts but U-M needed Gayle to be the go-to-guy on Sunday and he didn't meet the moment.
Nothing to panic about
This is one of those 50-50 games. Wake Forest is ranked 61st in the Kenpom rankings. It would have been a quality win for Michigan basketball and a nice one for the resume.
However, it's not a sign that the season will be going in the tank. Michigan got ice cold from deep in the second half. Michigan shot 30 percent from deep for the game. The Wolverines had assists on 15-of-24 field goals compared to 11-of-26 for Wake Forest.
The Demon Deacons just took care of the ball better. Neither team shot the ball well and in that kind of game, turnovers, rebounds, and missed opportunities can decide it and that's what happened.
If the Wolverines lose a bunch of games like these, as they did the past two seasons, then we can start to worry but this was essentially a road game, against a top-70 team and it's not a mortal sin in college basketball to drop a game like that.
Michigan should have won though.