Takeaways From Michigan's Loss to Duke as the Wolverines' Shots Couldn't Fall

In what was the most hyped-up game of the season — it sure lived up to it — Michigan suffered its second loss of the season to No. 3 Duke in Washington, D.C. The Wolverines fell 68-63 and will now head back to Ann Arbor to finish up Big Ten play.

Here are a few takeaways from the Wolverines' loss to Duke.

Shooting woes for the Maize and Blue

Michigan entered the game against Duke shooting the best of any Big Ten team. The Wolverines knock down 51.4% of their shots and 36.1% of their three-point attempts. But the shots weren't falling in Michigan's favor on Saturday against Duke.

The Blue Devils and Wolverines are both two great defensive teams — plus they were using a Wilson NCAA ball instead of the normal Nike ball — and Michigan really struggled to see the ball go through the net. The Wolverines shot just 40% from the field and 24% from three.

The Wolverines' guard play was very poor from the field. Elliot Cadeau scored just eight points, while going 1-of-8 from three. Nimari Burnett didn't hit a single shot for Michigan and Trey McKenney scored two points off the bench.

Michigan scored its season-low of the season in the loss to Duke.

Aday Mara foul trouble led to Duke's advantage

Duke was able to do most of its damage in the first half thanks to Aday Mara playing just six minutes, after taking his third foul. Mara does a ton to stop the opposition in the paint, but without his presence, Duke's Cameron Boozer got rolling.

Add on Morez Johnson getting two fouls in the first half, the Wolverines were left playing with a small lineup toward the end of the first half — with Yaxael Lendeborg playing the 'five'. That also allowed the Blue Devils to control the glass.

Michigan is one of the best rebounding teams out there, but that's also with both Mara and Johnson playing their normal minutes. With both bigs seeing the bench more than normal, Duke out-rebounded Michigan, 41-28, and the Blue Devils scored 18 second-chance points.

Even at the end of the game, Michigan had a chance to grab a rebound and take a last-second shot down three, but it was the story of the game for the Wolverines — allowing Duke to gain an offensive rebound.

Yaxel Lendeborg shined in the brightest of lights

Save from Morez Johnson getting hot in the second half and scoring 13 total points, nobody on the Wolverines could score the ball aside from Yaxel Lendeborg, who shined. In a must-watch game, Lendeborg once again showed why he was the top-ranked transfer in the nation.

Lendeborg scored a game-high 21 points and drilled three three-point attempts for the Wolverines. He was a mismatch on the court and Duke really didn't know how to handle him. Lendeborg made a few threes, but he also lowered his shoulder and went right after Cameron Boozer and Duke.

The Wolverines took their second loss of the season, but it was no fault of Lendeborg.

Game lived up to the hype

Michigan fans won't like the fact that the Wolverines lost the game, or the fact that the officials ruined the pace of play, but the game sure did live up to expectations.

The Wolverines were on the wrong side of several calls, but Michigan could've battled that if it shot the ball better and rebounded like they usually do.

Either way, the No.1 vs. No. 3 contest was worth the billing and it was great for college basketball. We need more of these type of games every year.