Takeaways: Michigan basketball vs. Maryland
Entering Thursday night, Michigan basketball had defeated Maryland five straight times. The last time the two teams played one another was on Jan. 1 when the Wolverines throttled the Terrapins, 81-46.
But Thursday belonged to the Terrapins.
The Wolverines were down 34-32 at the half, but Michigan was getting outrebounded 20-15 in the first half. The Terps had 10 offensive rebounds and scored 24 points in the paint.
The second half was a little better from the Michigan defense, but the Wolverines couldn’t get enough stops nor could the maize and blue get consistent offense.
The Wolverines fall to Maryland on Thursday 64-58 and that drops Michigan’s record to 10-8 (4-3).
Here are our takeaways after the Wolverines fall to Maryland on Thursday night.
Michigan had no answer against Maryland in the paint
Photo by: Paul Sherman
This was arguably the worst Michigan looked on the defensive side of the ball all season. Yeah, teams have been hot shooting the 3 against the Wolverines in the past, but against Maryland — the maize and blue had a lackluster defensive presence.
The Terrapins scored 64 points in the game. But the kicker was Maryland had 42 points in the paint. Out of those 42 points, the Terps scored 36 on layups and dunks.
Michigan looked like a team that had zero interest in being on the court Thursday night. The Terrapins constantly blew by the Michigan defenders for easy layups while the Wolverines were looking around.
Not enough offensive help for the Wolverines
Hunter Dickinson (19) and Jett Howard (13) both struggled to reach double figures on Thursday night, but like usual, both players were able to score.
Outside of the junior and freshman, there wasn’t much help from anyone else. Dug McDaniel shot 2-for-10 from the field and Kobe Bufkin was 1-for-6. Terrance Williams scored nine while shooting the ball six times.
Teams are consistently double-teaming Dickinson on the block and Michigan hasn’t done a good enough job of making teams pay when doing so. The Wolverines shot 28% from 3 on Thursday and the Wolverines had multiple chances to sink shots from the perimeter after Dickinson dishes from the double.
We didn’t see too much from Tarris Reed on Thursday, but his poor free-throw shooting may be holding him back from receiving quality minutes.
Coach Juwan Howard will need to figure something out in the coming games to get the Wolverines going on the offensive end of the floor.
A sense of urgency is needed
Jan 19, 2023; College Park, Maryland, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Dug McDaniel (0) makes a move to the basket during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Like Michigan’s defense, the Wolverines as a unit looked uninterested on Thursday — especially in the first half.
You would’ve thought Michigan was a team that could afford a loss, but that’s not the case. If the maize and blue could’ve won on Thursday, they would be second in the Big Ten, but instead Michigan is now 10-8 (4-3).
As of now, it’s hard to say the Wolverines are an NCAA tournament team. Michigan makes too many mistakes and the defense is suspect, to say the least.
The coaching staff has some work to do to get these players ready for the final stretch of Big Ten play. The Wolverines control their own destiny, but Michigan needs to get some quality wins. Winning at home is paramount and winning winnable games on the road is a must.
