LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Michigan is learning if it can’t hit its three-pointers, the Wolverines are going to have a hard time winning games this season.

For the second straight game, Michigan shot less than 25 percent from the three-point line. And for the second straight game, the Wolverines ended up with a loss, this time a 68-66 loss to Alabama on Sunday.

Michigan guard Manny Harris, left, drives past Alabama's Senario Hillman during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Old Spice Classic tournament in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

AP photo

No Michigan player made more than two three-pointers Sunday - guard Laval Lucas-Perry was 2 of 6 - and the Wolverines were 6 of 25 overall.

“With a couple of our guys, it looks like it’s going in,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “Manny (Harris), it looks like it’s going in. He’s hesitating a little bit. I’m trying to get him to stop hesitating. When he doesn’t hesitate, it has a much better chance of going in. He’s really a good shooter.

“Obviously, we knock down a couple three’s today and it’s a different game but have to live with it and see what we can do to get better.”

Junior guard Manny Harris was 1 of 6 from the three-point line Sunday and was 1 of 14 from the three-point line all tournament. Sophomore guard Stu Douglass was 2 of 9 and sophomore guard Zack Novak was 4 of 10.

Senior forward DeShawn Sims - who Beilein said has perhaps the most green light to shoot from outside of any 6-foot-8 player in the country - was 1 of 9 from the three-point line.

Manny Harris, Ekpe Udoh on All-Tournament Team

After averaging 22.67 points and setting a tournament record for assists in a game with 11 against Creighton, Harris was a shoo-in for the Old Spice Classic’s all-tournament team.

Against Creighton, he came one rebound shy of his second triple-double of the season.
Still, though, Harris said his performances didn’t matter because Michigan is leaving Florida 1-2 and possibly out of the Top 25.

“We played good as far as effort,” Harris said. “And some areas we just came across another good team that played good tonight. We’re just going to watch film and learn from it and that’s all we can do to get better."

Alabama’s JaMychal Green, Marquette's Lazar Hayward, Florida State’s Chris Singleton and former Michigan forward and current Baylor standout Ekpe Udoh. Singleton was the tournament's MVP.

Killed on the boards

Michigan is never going to be confused with a dominant rebounding team, but in two of the Wolverines’ three games this week, they were out-rebounded.

Unsurprisingly, both resulted in losses for Michigan.

The disparity was particularly noticeable on Sunday, when Alabama beat Michigan on the backboard, 41-26.

“Sometimes they was in the right place at the right time,” Harris said. “They were a real long team so sometimes it just fell in their hands but I think, like I said, I think our team battled a lot on the glass and it’s just one of them games.

“But we just have to find a way to not let that happen.”

This and that

At one point in the second half on Sunday, Beilein had a lineup of Zack Gibson, Matt Vogrich, Anthony Wright, Stu Douglass and Zack Novak. All except for Novak started the game on the bench. … Alabama had 24 bench points to Michigan’s 11. ... Michigan travels back to Ann Arbor on Monday morning.

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.