Michigan basketball eventually pulled away from Middle Tennessee State, but for a half, some of the same issues came back to bite the Wolverines.
The turnovers weren't as bad as they have been, but Michigan basketball still turned it over 12 times. Middle Tennessee made 10 3-pointers, and late in the first half, the Wolverines led by single digits.
At one point, Middle Tennessee State went on a 13-2 run, cutting the lead to 25-24 with 3:56 left in the first half. The lead was six at the intermission before Michigan was much sharper in the half pulling away for the 86-61 win.
The Wolverines didn't cover the spread for the third straight game. Michigan shot 20 percent from 3-point range and had 12 turnovers. The defense allowed just 61 points. The Blue Raiders shot 27 percent from deep and 30 percent overall.
Yaxel Lendeborg led Michigan with 25 points and 12 rebounds. He also added a block and two steals. Elliot Cadeau joined him in double figures with 10 points. Aday Mara came off the bench to score 10 points, on 5-of-9 shooting, while grabbing 10 rebounds.
Here are the gut reactions.
Yaxel's best night in Maize and Blue
It was a dominant night for Lendeborg on both ends of the floor. After having his wrist wrapped in the first game, we hadn't quite seen an offensive explosion. Yet, against MTSU, Yaxel was a force, shooting 75 percent from the field as he scored 25 points on 12 field-goal attempts. Lendeborg also made two 3-pointers, plus two steals and a block. He had the best plus/minus in the game.
The big lineup isn't working that well
The starting lineup was different with Will Tschetter, which was clearly a move to open up some spacing. Tschetter did hit a trey early, but Michigan basketball trailed 9-8 after the first TV timeout.
It still feels like a lineup with Yaxel at the four, Morez or Mara at the five, and a trio of guards/wings is the best right now. It provided a spark early in the second half.
Michigan is right to want to take advantage of its size. It has worked so far this season. Michigan is dominating inside on both ends of the floor. That's a recipe for winning lots of basketball games.
The three-big lineup still feels a little clunky. Dusty May has his reason for using it, and it will prove useful, yet there are just some growing pains.
The 3-point woes continue
The fact that Michigan has won three games in a row, shooting about 20 percent from 3-point range, is a testament to the defense and rebounding. Michigan's 2-point offense is elite. The Wolverines have done a great job of getting to the free-throw line and converting.
At some point, though, they will have to hit shots from beyond the arc. You can't win a national championship or even make a deep run in the NCAA tournament shooting 20 percent from three.