Usually, February is for conference play in college basketball, and if there’s a big showdown, it’s because the top teams in the conference are facing off against each other. But Saturday presented an anomaly — a nonconference matchup on a neutral court between Michigan basketball and Duke in the Edward Jones Capital Showcase presented by Bad Boy Mowers.
Facing off in Washington, D.C., the Wolverines took an early lead against the Blue Devils and mostly had control in the first half. But the refs kept making some questionable calls, which sent center Aday Mara and forward Morez Johnson Jr. to the bench, which caused some issues for the maize and blue now that they had lost their size. Michigan had advantages in field goal shooting, but was lagging behind in free throws, rebounds, slightly in turnovers, and struggled to score in the key with Mara and Johnson out for much of the half.
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The second half saw Duke take a two-point halftime lead and push it to six. But the Wolverines climbed back quickly, and it continued to be a game. But the Blue Devils pushed the lead back to seven, as Michigan struggled to get back into the swing on either side of the court. Without a field goal for over four minutes, the Wolverines were down just five and had to figure things out with 7:30 remaining in the game.
The Duke defense really clamped down on the Michigan offense, which had been stellar in the first half. With six minutes remaining, the Wolverines were shooting just 23% from the floor in the second half.
And though the Blue Devils took an eight-point lead, the Wolverines stayed persistent and cut it to within one point by the under-four media timeout. Duke pushed the lead back to five with 2:30 remaining, but the maize and blue had some life. However, a Cameron Boozer 3 put the game out of reach, even with Elliot Cadeau answering, and Duke won, 68-63.
Here are our five takeaways.
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Early ref show changed the complexion of the game
Michigan was outplaying Duke until some questionable calls started going against the Wolverines. A block by Mara was erroneously called a foul — his third. A travel was called on Yaxel Lendeborg despite his never having possession. Two out-of-bounds were called Duke ball, despite it being off the Blue Devils both times. Duke didn’t get such controversial calls on their side, and it changed the game.
Without Mara or Johnson on the floor for much of the first half, the Wolverines were out of rhythm against a big, physical team where they needed their bigs. Even in the second half, Mara had to play a little cautious, just two fouls away from having to leave the game. An obvious hook-and-hold, which should have been a flagrant 1 and Michigan ball, was reviewed by the refs and still not called. On the Duke side of the game, they were allowed to play (and there were a lot of non-calls there). But on the other side, Michigan was called frequently, and it completely took the Wolverines out of rhythm. (Michigan wasn’t fully innocent, Mara got away with a hook-and-hold, and Duke star Cameron Boozer had four fouls with plenty of time remaining.)
Even late in the game, the refs called a goaltend on Mara, which was reviewed. Though it didn’t appear to be on a downward trajectory, the refs said that it was confirmed.
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Ironically, it was Michigan that found itself not only in the bonus, but the double-bonus with five minutes remaining. But the Wolverines failed to take advantage.
Yaxel Lendeborg was the best player on the court
Michigan needed its star to put on a show, and though it wasn’t enough, Lendeborg was the leading scorer and was the key player for much of the game. Though Lendeborg wasn’t quite as effective in the second half as he was in the first (he only had five points), he was dominant early in the game, which helped propel Michigan to an early lead.
Perhaps the most disappointing part for the Wolverines was that Elliot Cadeau was essentially a nonfactor, while Nimari Burnett actually was offensively (zero points). LJ Cason was excellent when he was in, but Trey McKenney only managed two points and was also a nonfactor. Will Tschetter also had zero points, while Roddy Gayle Jr. only had two points. With little bench production and the point guard not having much of an impact until late in the game, that was never going to allow the Wolverines to rise to the point of winning, as close as they kept it.
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Defensive battle, but second-half shooting woes
The two teams certainly displayed their defensive prowess, as neither team shot particularly well in this one. Duke shot 45.5%, and Michigan shot 40%. But it didn’t have to be that way.
Credit the Blue Devils for taking advantage of their ability to block the Wolverines in the lane, as they outscored Michigan 34-24 in the paint. But the maize and blue shot 51.9% in the first half only to shoot just 28.6% in the second. Given that they entered the second with a two-point deficit, ultimately, it was Duke’s defense that won the game.
Even still, Michigan finished the game with fewer turnovers, only committing one in the second half.
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Rebounding was an issue
This isn’t something we’ve said much, if at all, this year. The Wolverines have tended to be more physical than their opponent. And even with Mara and Johnson in the game early, Duke was clearly the aggressor on the boards. That led to more second-chance points, as the Blue Devils had 18 to Michigan’s 11 in that regard — essentially the difference in the game.
Duke was simply much more aggressive on the boards, with 41 rebounds compared to Michigan’s 28. Given the disparity, it’s impressive that Michigan kept the game as close as it did.
This could be a national championship or Final Four rematch
The No. 1 and No. 2 teams on KenPom, it’s unsurprising that the game was mostly evenly matched (even if there was some outside interference, as mentioned in point No. 1). Though Michigan looked to be the aggressor early, it was a game that featured punch-counterpunch.
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Michigan likely lost the No. 1 overall seed now that the two teams have drawn even with 25-2 records (but the Wolverines do have some tough games remaining, which could still keep them alive). But given how tightly contested this neutral-site contest was, it wouldn’t exactly be a shock to see these two face each other again late in the postseason.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan basketball vs. Duke: Controversial calls, takeaways from loss
