Gut reactions to a back-breaking loss for Michigan basketball

With 13:13 left in the game, Michigan basketball led Michigan State by six points. You actually believed for a second that the Wolverines could pull off the upset and salvage something from this miserable 2023-24 season.

In the minutes that followed however, Michigan basketball lost the game much the same way they have lost 17 other games this season. The Wolverines went over six minutes without a bucket. They had 22 turnovers and when the game was on the line, Michigan State went on a 10-0 run.

After Michigan went up six, over the last 13 minutes, the Spartans outscored the Wolverines 26-10. At one point during the closing stretch, Michigan turned it over five times on six possessions. Nkamhoua was responsible for eight turnovers and many of them were silly for a senior. Dug McDaniel had five turnovers and MSU stole the ball 14 times.

It was the first win for Tom Izzo over Juwan Howard at the Crisler Center and it was a new low for the Juwan Howard era. The game ended on a 10-0 run and it was flat-out ugly down the stretch. Here are the gut reactions.

Gut reactions to Michigan basketball loss to Michigan State

• You can't turn the ball over on nearly a third of your possessions and expect to win.

• Blowing a six-point second half lead was par for the course this season.

• That was probably the last chance to feel good about this team this season, unless they make a run in the Big Ten tournament.

• There are stretches during games where this team looks good.

• it just doesn't happen enough.

• You can't beat good teams when you can't execute the simple things like boxing out on a free throw.

• I hate to see him fired but I don't see how Juwan Howard returns.

• Go Blue.