Michigan Basketball Desperately 'Needs Swagger Back' After Another Close Loss

After another close loss, Michigan is in desperate need of a breakthrough if it wants to contend in the Big Ten.

After some big departures from a season ago that included Hunter Dickinson, Kobe Bufkin, and Jett Howard -- it looked like the Wolverines had something going their way after a dominating 3-0 start to the 2023-24 basketball season. 

But the theme thus far through nine games is that Michigan crumbles down the stretch defensively and the Wolverines struggle to find ways to win close games. But that's been a theme in the five years that coach Juwan Howard has been at the helm.

Michigan is just 2-13 under Howard in one-possession games. And while Phil Martelli was still the acting head coach against Indiana on Tuesday night, that stat is very worrisome. 

Michigan dropped a heartbreaking loss at home against Indiana. Michigan, which entered the game at 4-4 and was a 6.5-point favorite against the Hoosiers, dropped a 78-75 game that very easily could've been a signature win for the Wolverines. 

The Wolverines were outscored 41-36 in the second half and finished the game with 14 turnovers. Martelli said after the game the goal was 11 or fewer turnovers and Michigan believed it would've won the game going away, but late-game turnovers reared their ugly head once again. 

While Michigan has dropped four out of its last five games, Martelli says he doesn't sense any doubt in the huddles. The Wolverines just need to make one or two more plays than what their currently making. Michigan has now lost three games by four or fewer points and the Wolverines need a breakthrough on how to win in tight games. 

“I don’t sense doubt in the huddle,” Martelli said. “It's a play, right? We were 1-for-4 in the last 30-some seconds at Oregon from the foul line. That's a play... We need one to break through. We need a breakthrough one where I would say, ‘Wow, it does come out on the right side.’”

Michigan has been able to score the basketball and is more efficient than last year's team, but the Wolverines really struggle getting stops on the other end of the court. In fact, Michigan is the 286th-ranked team in the nation allowing 76.6 points per game. That's something that will have to change if Michigan is going to right the ship. 

The Wolverines found themselves down seven with eight minutes to go in the first period before battling back to take the lead into the half against the Hoosiers. And then Michigan was up by six with 8:59 left in the game after a Will Tschetter 3, but once again, the Wolverines faltered with turnovers and late-game defense. 

“We’re not setting the tone defensively early on,” grad transfer Nimari Burnett said. “We wait until they hit us a few times with some early buckets for us to say, ‘All right, let’s get some stops.’”

Michigan has been getting everything it can from sophomore guard Dug McDaniel who has been extremely hot as of late, but he cooled off against Indiana. McDaniel did finish with 13 points but shot 3-of-14 from the field. Tennessee transfer Oiliva Nkamhoua has also been a nice piece to the puzzle and he scored 18 against Indiana. 

But one player that Michigan needs to get more from is center Tarris Reed. The sophomore big man is averaging six points and six rebounds so far this year, but he was expected to make a big jump after Dickinson left for Kansas. In fact, against Indiana, Reed played just 18 minutes, and checked out at the 13:40 mark in the second half. He didn't play anymore until the final minute and a half. 

“He has to slow down, catch the ball cleaner and make quicker decisions,” Martelli said of Reed. “It's not my call, but we're not walking away from him when another guy has it going. So they [Will Tschetter and Tarris Reed] played 22 and 18 minutes, so they split that position and Will had it going. Tarris Reed didn't drop his head. He's not going to work less at it."

One pleasant surprise to the 23-24 season has been forward Will Tschetter who was a big part of the offense on Tuesday. Tschetter had 17 points and nailed four 3s from the field. Tschetter has been apart of some nice wins and some tough losses. He knows the team has what it takes to win these close games, but he also knows the Wolverines need some swagger. 

“We have all the right tools,” Tschetter said. “We’re gonna click eventually. We know what it takes. We’ve gotta get our swagger back.”