There are no easy games in the Big Ten. That's a lesson Michigan basketball learned the hard way on Thursday night in an 84-81 overtime loss against Minnesota.
The Wolverines battled. They could have folded late in the game or in overtime. But they also squandered an 11-point lead and a two-point lead with under 30 seconds
Michigan basketball has led each game this season by 11 points. That's not a typo. They have had an 11-point lead or more in all 17 games this season. U-M now has four losses.
The 2-point offense fell apart. Vlad Goldin went 5-for-15. Danny Wolf scored 23 points but had six turnovers. Michgan had 13 as a team but Minnesota had just five. Goldin still scored 18 points. Will Tschetter pitched in with 15 off the bench and three 3-pointers.
But it still wasn't enough. Dawson Garcia scored 27 points and hit two 3-pointers, including a half-court buzzer-beater that dropped Michigan basketball to 5-1 in the Big Ten. Here are the gut reactions.
Gut reactions to Michigan basketball loss to Minnesota
- Michigan shot 42.5 percent on 2-point attempts. They usually shoot over 60 percent. That's where the Wolverines lost the game.
- Danny Wolf has to get the turnovers under control.
- Vlad Goldin had a bad night and it was costly.
- Missed free throws in the second half were killer. There were only six all game by Michigan but they felt costly.
- Danny Wolf made some incredible shots/plays at the end of the game.
- This loss damages the resume. It's a quad-3 loss and will knock Michigan from being projected as a top-16 overall seed.
- Upsets happen. But Michigan has to finish and has to take better care of the ball.
- Other than that, this feels more like a one-off than a game to freak out about.
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