The Michigan basketball Wolverines do not seemingly have a particularly grueling non-conference schedule, but they were certainly pushed to their limits versus Wake Forest on Tuesday night. Dusty May's guys squandered a 13-point halftime lead and found themselves trailing 77-70 with less than five minutes remaining in regulation. The Big Ten squad trudged through the mud and earned an 85-84 overtime victory over the visiting Demon Deacons.
Relief filled the Crisler Center following this scare, as No. 6 Michigan overcame 17 turnovers, 12 missed free throws and a 4-of-25 showing from behind the 3-point line. Fans are obviously pleased to see their team come out on top, but they also know the Wolverines will need to be sharper as the campaign progresses.
Michigan basketball inspires mixed feelings from its fans
“Wow that was stressful,” @BigDaleFletcher commented on X. “I hope this isn’t a common trend again. We’re too good to play like this. Take the win and go get better.”
Despite finishing with a Big Ten Tournament championship and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Michigan was quite erratic last season. It frequently kept its opponent in games via sloppy play. The hope is that May can infuse more discipline in the program during his second year at the helm.
An outing such as this one shows that the team still has strides to make, as it tries to integrate transfers Yaxel Lendeborg, Elliot Cadeau, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. Therefore, it will take some time for fans to fully buy into the Wolverines. They did display their signature resilience, however.
“Dog fight , good way to pull through fellas,” @Sl1m517 said. “Go Blue!” “Dusty better not let them leave until {they} learn how to shoot 3s and free throws,” @35_throwaway remarked. “Gritty win tho.” “A win is a win but this team has a lot to work on moving forward,” @SznGoblue asserted. “Defense, rebounding, and shooting are all big issues right now.”
“Everyone needs to chill, it’s game 2,” @DetroitBrewCrew expressed optimistically. “We have no clue how good Wake Forest is. If anything it’s great experience for moving forward. Great win, Go Blue!”
Michigan basketball must indeed learn from its battle with Wake Forest, because this group is bound to encounter plenty of close matchups in conference play. Mara led the way on this night, posting 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and a whopping five blocks. Cadeau, who tied the game with a clutch drive near the end of the second half, also did a bit of everything versus the Demon Deacons. He totaled 17 points, eight boards and seven dimes in 36 minutes of action (also committed five turnovers).
Those two players and a collectively scrappy effort helped the Wolverines survive Lendeborg's shooting struggles (4-of-12). The former UAB star will try to bounce back when Michigan faces TCU on Friday. Dusty May will surely have much to tell his players before that road game.
