Michigan Drops Big Game Against Ohio State
After an absolutely perfect effort against Purdue two days ago, Michigan came up woefully short against Ohio State earlier tonight. The Buckeyes came into Ann Arbor and handed the Wolverines a 68-57 loss and may have severely damaged the maize and blue's chances at making the NCAA Tournament in the process.
1. Shooting woes return
After shooting the lights out against Purdue, Michigan reverted back to form going just 4-of-17 from three-point range against Ohio State. Caleb Houstan, who knocked down four treys against the Boilermakers, was just 1-for-4 from distance tonight and only scored five points. Hunter Dickinson, who also had his best shooting night of the year against Purdue, went 0-for-2 from three-point range in his 14-point effort. Overall, Michigan shot 41% from the floor and just couldn't generate enough offense against an Ohio State team that wasn't perfect either. If Michigan had played even a decent offensive game it would've been close down the stretch.
2. Depth is an issue
Beyond the five starters, there really isn't anyone who can step in and play at a high level. Juwan Howard gets a decent performance out of Brandon Johns Jr. once in a blue moon but that didn't happen tonight as he didn't even take a shot in 10 minutes of action. Kobe Bufkin and Frankie Collins just aren't ready for a big serving of meaningful minutes as evidenced by their usage — Collins played eight minutes while Bufkin played just one; one single minute. Even sophomore Terrance Williams II, who is usually good for some scrappy energy and points, was held scoreless on one shot attempt in 12 minutes of playing time. Beyond the first five, Michigan is just not very productive. When lightning strikes, and the starters are all on point and a couple of the bunch players show up, you get a Purdue performance. The rest of the season, however, has been more like tonight.
