After committing 16 turnovers in each of the first two games, ball security has become a key area of concern for Michigan. These issues proved to be costly in a loss to Wake Forest.
After committing 16 turnovers in each of the first two games, it appears ball security has become a key area of concern for the Michigan Wolverines moving forward. It was especially evident during a 72-70 loss to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Sunday afternoon, where several careless mistakes and critical turnovers proved to be costly.
Michigan has a high-tempo offense, designed to push the pace and generate quick scoring opportunities, so that play style tends to lead to turnovers but the Wolverines must reduce the unforced errors. During the narrow loss to Wake Forest, turnovers disrupted the game plan and prevented the offense from having quality possessions.
“We have to get back to our identity which is creating offense for each other. Last night, we probably tried to do it too much individually,” Michigan head coach Dusty May told the media on Monday. “We spend so much time on our concepts and it seemed like under those adverse conditions, we didn’t do the things that we’ve practiced a lot.”
Despite shooting nearly 50 percent from three in the first half, the #Michigan Wolverines went cold in the second half and turned the ball over too often, losing to Wake Forest to fall to 1-1 on the year.@Kellen__Voss has takeaways:https://t.co/gVQH7bPPid
— Maize n Brew (@MaizenBrew) November 10, 2024
One of the most notable contributors to the turnover issues has been power forward Danny Wolf, who has committed an alarming 11 turnovers in the first two games of the season. Wolf was phenomenal in his debut , posting a team-high 19 points and 13 rebounds, but his five turnovers were a concern and it continued against Wake Forest.
The turnover troubles seem to be a reflection of the Wolverines still adjusting to playing together but the coaching staff should be able to figure out a way to clean up miscues as the season moves ahead. It can take time for teams to develop chemistry so in the meantime, Michigan will likely struggle to take care of the ball consistently.
“We’re trying to do too much against a set defense. We knew Wake Forest was going to be in the gaps aggressively and we thought we prepared well for what we were going to see,” May said. “Sometimes when the defense gets underneath you and speeds you up, you make poor decisions. Those are good learning lessons from this game.”
The Wolverines’ offensive success depends on capitalizing in transition so they should continue to push the pace but avoiding unforced errors, making smart decisions and playing with more precision will be just as important. Michigan will try to limit turnovers and get back on track against the TCU Horned Frogs on Friday evening at home.