Michigan Basketball: 3 takeaways from a razor thin win over Wake Forest

Up by as many as 13, Michigan basketball gave away a lead in the second stanza to Wake Forest, which went up by seven and was five minutes from sweeping the Wolverines. Michigan climbed back to tie it with free throws and a clutch three-pointer by Roddy Gayle Jr. with under two minutes remaining. Overtime ensued, and the victors prevailed by the slightest of margins. Here are three of the takeaways from the escape.

1. Wins like this will matter more in March

366 days ago, Michigan lost this contest by a deuce. It did not get the Demon Deacons into the Big Dance, though. Michigan went on to lose only nine more games and endured a seven-game winning streak following that loss. Wake Forest lost four out of its next 10. It turns out that the outcome of last year's meeting had more of an impact on the loser than it did on the winner, if you look at it from that viewpoint. Will history repeat itself in 2025?

Winning the extra session helps the mental growth and resume of this Wolverine pack. They found out that they can defend on the final possessions and have a rim protector that few possess. Wake Forest had the last shot in regulation and in overtime and came up empty.

2. The Wolverines didn't reach their full potential in the second game of the season last year either

It looked like Michigan would cruise to victory after halftime. The Wolverines were up by double digits before the first television timeout of the broadcast. Meanwhile, Michigan had a four-point lead at the break of the 2024 meet-up in Greensboro. It was a seesaw affair just like Tuesday night. Wake regained the edge by six, Michigan dwindled it down to one, but this time Wake Forest ran out of clock, instead of the Wolverines.

People didn't really start taking notice of the maize and blue until Thanksgiving or early December last season. Winning the Fort Meyers Tip-Off and storming into Madison with a victory put them on the map. The triumphant trip to Los Angeles in January confirmed that Michigan was a tournament team not to be trifled with.

On Tuesday night in Detroit they played more like last season's version. They committed 17 turnovers and shot below 20% from deep. That would have meant a loss, but not this time. Since Dusty May has taken the reigns in Ann Arbor, Michigan has won 14 games by four points or less. 13 of those wins came over an 18 game span. That doesn't include the fluke loss at Minnesota by a half-court buzzer beater from Dawson Garcia.

3. Aday Mara is flourishing under Dusty May just like Vlad Goldin did

The seven-foot junior had two double-doubles during his time at UCLA. He's already matched that in his first two appearances as a Wolverine. He's also blocked 10 shots in two games. To the contrary, Vlad Goldin didn't pace his team in scoring until the Wisconsin win last December. He would go on to post the high mark in points for the next four outings and was the leading point-getter for the Wolverines for more than half of the season's wins.

Mara's size has been a problem for both Wake Forest and Oakland University. Neither opponent had a player taller then 6'10''. TCU does not have a seven footer on their roster. As far as the Big Ten is concerned, Purdue has a reserve named Daniel Jacobson who is 7'4''. Seems like Matt Painter has one of those guys every year in West Lafayette. Illinois has the Ivisic brothers, who just protected home court in a top 15 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night.

Coach May started all three of his big men in the lineup on Tuesday. Mara played the most minutes. Yaxel Lendeborg was close to 100% healthy, which is the reason why he didn't start in game one last week. May could keep tinkering with the trio, but he also might be trying to replicate the success he had with Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin on the floor at the same time.