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Gut reactions to another second-half collapse for Michigan basketball

Michigan basketball dropped another game after taking the lead at halftime and here are the gut reactions.

By Chris Peterson

Jan 27, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Owen Freeman (32) is defended by
Jan 27, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Owen Freeman (32) is defended by / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
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At this point, there is no saving the season for Michigan basketball. The Wolverines aren't making the NCAA tournament unless they win the Big Ten Tournament.

Yet, a win on Saturday still would have been nice. It would have been nice to enjoy something positive and at the half, it looked like Michigan basketball might have a chance, leading 44-42 after all.

That's when we should have known. The Wolverines have blown a bunch of halftime leads this season and on Saturday, Iowa outscored Michigan basketball 46-34 to walk away with a 88-78 win.

Michigan has lost eight out of nine games and is squarely in the cellar at 2-7 in the Big Ten and 7-13 overall. Only two of those losses were by more than 10 points, but the bottom line is that the depth and talent aren't where they need to be. That's the biggest issue.

Dug McDaniel was back but made just 4-of-13 shots from the field. He hasn't been able to continue the stellar start to the season and neither have the Wolverines.

The wheels have completely come off at this point. Terrance Williams scored 16 in the loss but was 2-of-8 from 3-point range. Nimari Burnett added 13, as did Olivier Nkamhoua. Payton Sandfort scored 26 for Iowa. Tony Perkins added 24.

Gut reactions to Michigan basketball loss

  • Michigan's defense is terrible. Iowa is a good offensive team, but you can't allow almost 1.3 points per possession and expect to win. Iowa made 50 percent of its 3-pointers and 54 percent of hits 2s. That's just not going to cut it and the defense hasn't cut it all season.
  • Suspension or not, it doesn't seem like Dug McDaniel is the answer for Michigan at point guard. You can probably say the same thing about Juwan Howard as head coach.
  • I'm not convinced he gets fired. We'll see how things finish. Maybe Warde Manuel views it like the 2020 football season. We'll see. At some point, it becomes clear. It is already to many.
  • Roster construction is the biggest issue for this program. NIL has to get better to improve that.
  • As optimistic as Michigan football fans are, it's hard to feel the same about men's basketball.
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