Wolverine Digest

Michigan Basketball: Will costly mistakes haunt Wolverines against Texas A&M?

The Michigan Wolverines escaped the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a three point win, but costly mistakes continue to be a concern.

Chris Breiler

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
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It has certainly been a emotional rollercoaster for fans of the Michigan basketball program. At times, the Wolverines look like one of the best teams in the country. At other times, the Wolverines look like they're completely lost and unable to take care of the ball.

That swing from one extreme to the other had led to several close calls for Michigan this season. After last night's 68-65 victory over UCSD, the Wolverines have now won 13 games this season by four points or less. And while it's encouraging to see that Michigan has the ability to win in tight games, the reality is that many of those games wouldn't have been as close if not for the mistakes made by the Wolverines.

Michigan Basketball
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

At the top of the list is the turnover issue, something that nearly led to an early exit from the NCAA Tournament last night. The Wolverines accounted for nine turnovers in the first half and finished with 14 total turnovers for the game, and UCSD turned those 14 turnovers into 15 points.

Another reoccurring issue for Michigan has been rebounding. Although the Wolverines won the rebounding battle over the Tritons last night, they still allowed a much undersized team to haul in 10 offensive rebounds, leading to 10 second-chance scoring opportunities for UCSD.

There are certainly other issues to point to with Michigan, but committing turnovers and giving up offensive rebounds is unquestionably a recipe for disaster in March. The Wolverines were able to get away with it against 12-seed UCSD (barely), but it seems unlikely they can afford to make those same mistakes against 4-seed Texas A&M on Saturday.

- Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI -

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.

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