Gut reactions to Michigan basketball loss to Northwestern

It was a familiar sight for Michigan basketball fans on Thursday night. The Wolverines played well in the first half, built a lead, then lost by double digits.

The Wolverines came out firing and they made 8-of-11 shots from beyond the arc. Nimari Burnett hit three 3-pointers. In the second half, he hit two pull-up treys, giving Michigan basketball a one-point lead. However, it wouldn't last.

Northwestern, a team battling for an NCAA tournament berth, responded. The Wildcats rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit and still covered the spread. Ryan Langborg connected on five 3-pointers. Brooks Barnhizer added three triples. He finished with 19 points and 12 assists.

Boo Buie finished with 16 points and became the all-time leading scorer for the Wildcats. Yet, the second half belonged to Northwestern, a Michigan team, without its two leading scorers didn't have the firepower to hang with an NCAA tournament team.

We have seen a lot of this lately and here are the gut reactions as Michigan basketball dropped to 8-19 in the 2023-24 season. Nimari Burnett led the way with 15 points, while Williams and Tarris Reed finished with 13 each.

Gut reactions to Michigan basketball win

• The Wolverines surely don't look like a poorly-coached team in the first half. They have led in the majority of Big Ten games at the half. The roster just isn't good enough right now.

• Offensive rebounding doomed Michigan in this one. They also lost the turnover battle 10-5.

• Northwestern attempted 20 more shots because of those two statistics.

• What can be said that hasn't been said? This team hasn't quit though and that's one positive thing I can say about Juwan Howard.

• Call me crazy, I'm still not sure Juwan is fired or that he should be. That's the only drama left in the 2023-24 Michigan basketball season.