Takeaways From Michigan's Dominant Second Half to Down Rival Ohio State

The Wolverines once again entered a basketball contest as a 15-point favorite, and once again, Michigan didn't cover — but won the game. Which is all that matters. After a very slow start in the game, Michigan figured things out in the back of the second half, and defeated rival Ohio State, 74-62.

Michigan moves to 18-1 (8-1), while the Wolverines gave OSU its first loss in three games.

Here are some takeaways from the Wolverines' win over Ohio State.

Second-Half takeover

Ohio State came out swinging against Michigan. The Buckeyes, led by guard John Mobley Jr. who scored 22 points, were right in the game for the first 30 minutes of action. Michigan led by three points after the first half — a large thanks to Michigan's eight turnovers that resulted in 11 points off turnovers.

But the second part of the second half was all Michigan. The Wolverines outscored Ohio State 41-32 in the final 20 minutes of action and there were several players who stepped up. Elliot Cadeau drained a pair of crucial 3s, Trey McKenney scored nine points, and Aday Mara was critical in the paint.

The final 10 minutes of action reminded everyone just how dominant Michigan can be on any given night.

Yaxel Lendeborg was much more aggressive

Michigan F Yaxel Lendeborg — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of my concerns in recent games was the lack of aggressiveness from Yaxel Lendeborg. He looked better against Indiana, but Lendeborg — who is Michigan's best player — has looked rather content not getting to the rim.

But for the second game in a row, he was aggressive and looked to shoot. In a game where the Wolverines' guard play struggled, Michigan needed the former UAB star to get after it. Lendeborg attempted 13 shots, while scoring 18 points for the Wolverines. Lendeborg's foul-shooting was way off, but at least he was engaged and looked to make a difference for the Wolverines.

With some big games coming up, Michigan needs this version of Lendeborg moving forward.

Aday Mara is a force down low

The UCLA transfer had a slow start scoring the basketball, but a strong second half gave Mara 11 points in the game. But it wasn't scoring the ball that made Mara shine — it was his presence in the paint.

Mara, who entered the game ranked No. 7 in the nation with 2.6 blocks per game, blocked four shots on Friday against Ohio State. Mara grabbed just six boards, too, but again, it was his presence that made a big difference. Between Mara and Morez Johnson — Ohio State didn't have too much success driving against Michigan.

Michigan still gets in its own way

Michigan continues to find ways to win games, but the Wolverines haven't looked their dominant selves for a few weeks. Michigan continues to look complacent on the court and turnovers, among poor free-throw shooting haunts the Wolverines.

Michigan entered the game averaging over 12 turnovers per game, and in the win over the Buckeyes, the Wolverines had 14 turnovers, which allowed Ohio State to score 18 points off turnovers. It's careless passes, or trying to get too fancy — nonsense turnovers is what it equates to.

If turnovers aren't bad enough, Michigan's free-throw shooting was very poor. The Wolverines, a bottom-five free-throw shooting team in the Big Ten, shot just 60% from the charity stripe. If Michigan doesn't improve on its free-throw shooting, the Wolverines are going to eventually lose a close game due to not hitting their free throws.

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