Michigan Basketball Displays Vulnerability In First Loss Of Season

ANN ARBOR, Mich. —  Tonight, Michigan basketball returned home for its fourth game of the 2023 season, hosting Long Beach State at the Crilser Center. After a series of blowout wins, the Wolverines had jumped up to No. 19 in the latest KenPom rankings, and while tonight’s performance was up-and-down on behalf of the Maize and Blue, it shows how vulnerable the Wolverines are right now. Dug McDaniel and Olivier Nkamhoua shone bright; however, the defense was lacking (to put it lightly), and there is a lot to work on with Big Ten play right around the corner. Here is what we learned from the team’s first loss of the 2023-24 season.

Michigan basketball falls to Long Beach State in a thriller

The 2023-24 college hoops season is young, though it’s already clear that this year’s Michigan basketball team has some stuff to work on in order to contend for the Big Ten title. After Monday’s win over St. John’s at Madison Square Garden, many fans were getting a bit too high on the Maize and Blue, who displayed a lot of vulnerability this evening against Long Beach State.

This game can be summed up in one single play for the Wolverines. With around 20 seconds left in the game, down one possession with the game on the line, Long Beach State went to the line shooting one and one. The first shot went off the front of the rim, and a lack of rebounding effort allowed The Beach to make a layup, pushing its lead to four points with almost no time remaining. For the Wolverines, it was a fitting way to lose the game — a lack of effort, which LBS capitalized on, was the dagger.

The cons: sloppy defense and more

First off, let’s just get all of the negatives out of the way. Michigan basketball played a solid offensive game, though when it came time to play defense in the second half, the Wolverines faded away. A game that was once 23-7 in Michigan’s favor turned into an eight-point home loss by game’s end — something no one saw coming after Monday’s massive win over St. John’s.

“Let’s not get confused — we scored 86 points,” interim head coach Phil Martelli said after the game. “(The loss) didn’t have anything to do with that end of the floor (offense).”

Ultimately, this was a game that Michigan should have — and could have — won, if the effort and trust were there. That said, the Wolverines got a good wake-up call this evening at the Crisler Center, something that may turn out to be good for the team down the stretch.

“The trust factor didn’t go the whole game, and it’s not something that will linger with us, but some of it was in the body language,” Martelli added. “There were plays in the second half where guys were (pointing fingers). … We didn’t do enough right things, and it started with communication. We lacked communication.”

Additionally, this was a game that should have been familiar for Michigan basketball and its coaching staff, given how many times Michigan was in the same spot last season. With 30 seconds left, the Wolverines were down a single possession and had a chance to win or tie if it had rebounded on Long Beach State’s free throw with 20 seconds remaining. Obviously, the Wolverines didn’t do so, leading to their first loss of the season.

The bottom line: it was a sloppy, ugly game — at least defensively — though it is still just November basketball, and there could be a lot of growth coming from this loss.

“Somebody called this a trap game,” Dug McDaniel said. “You know, we were off to a hot start (to the season), but I feel like we did a good job of staying humble, just today wasn’t our day. (Long Beach State) got the best of us today.”

The pros: Dug McDaniel and Olivier Nkamhoua shine

With the loss, there were still some positives that should have fans excited for the games in front of Michigan basketball. First off, it’s clear that some of the Wolverines’ new transfers — especially Olivier Nkamhoua — are star players. Throughout the game, Olivier Nkamhoua continued to take over and keep his Wolverines alive, even getting the crowd to roar back into the matchup and become a factor with a series of crucial dunks. If Michigan needs a basket, Olivier Nkamhoua looks to be the guy that Phil Martelli wants on the court right now.

“Definitely, (Olivier Nkamhoua) is definitely one of our main guys,” Dug McDaniel said when asked if Nkamhoua is turning into a “go-to” guy for the Wolverines. “We have a lot of weapons all around, and he dominates the paint, so if he’s feeling it, why not keep feeding him?”

Dug McDaniel, Michigan’s sophomore point guard, was another star that came alive against Long Beach State this evening. McDaniel was sinking just about everything — especially from downtown — in the first half. All said and done, both Olivier Nkamhoua and Dug McDaniel ended up with 20 or more points, totaling 44 of the team’s 86 points tonight.

The bottom line for Michigan basketball is this: if the Wolverines can play better defense, U-M will win ball games, and the team knows it.

“If we play good defense, nobody can beat us,” Michigan basketball transfer star Olivier Nkamhoua said after the loss. “If we play how we are supposed to play, if we lock up, if we take care of the little things, if we take care of the ball, if we run back on defense, if we plug the gaps, if we communicate, and execute our coverage then we get stops.

“… Once we’re on our court, on our pace, playing our game, then we can play against anybody. But just like anybody else if we miss a step — or two steps, or three steps — it gets harder and harder.”

Michigan’s next game will not be easier than tonight’s as the Wolverines will face Memphis in game one of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament on Wednesday, November 22nd.

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