Vogrich, the inbounder, ran one play. The rest of the team ran another.
The ball rolled out of bounds, untouched by any Michigan player.
The play represented a microcosm of what is currently going wrong with Michigan basketball right now. The Wolverines possess a lack of focus and an abundance of youth.Â
Michigan coach John Beilein shouts instructions to his players on the floor during Wednesday night's loss to Boston College.
Melanie R. Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
“I’m sure we’ve had poorer games here,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “But that was really a bad, a poor performance for us and really disappointing.”Â
All of the problems that plagued Michigan throughout its stay in Florida last week followed the Wolverines home to Ann Arbor.
Michigan’s three-point shooting was abysmal for the third straight game - 9 of 34. None of the Wolverines’ top three three-point shooters, Manny Harris, Zack Novak or Stu Douglass, made more than 33 percent of their three’s taken.Â
The Wolverines often looked rushed and discombobulated, often appearing unsure of themselves or what was supposed to be going on offensively or defensively.Â
Speaking of defense, Michigan’s 1-3-1 zone defense allowed yet another slasher to cut right through the lane for easy layups and a lot of points.Â
What made Wednesday worse is that Boston College (5-2) didn’t even set things up specifically for junior guard
Corey Raji, who had 24 points and was so good Beilein said after the game ‘we didn’t have too many people guarding him today.”Â
“We have yet to run a play for Corey,” Boston College coach Al Skinner said. “So this all comes through the flow (of the offense), comes from his activity, his alertness, and the nice thing about it is guys are looking for him and creating these opportunities for him.Â
“But we have not run a play for him.”Â
While Raji was alert, most of Michigan was not. Michigan senior forward DeShawn Sims, who said Tuesday he was going to refocus his game into making shots inside, was 2 of 7, scored four points and grabbed three rebounds.Â
Harris was the only Michigan player in double figures with 19, but he scored those points on an inefficient 18 shots.
Too often, it looked like Michigan was standing around waiting for Harris to do something - a similar trait to what happened in Florida when Harris was dominant but had little help.Â
“I don’t think we’re separating as a team,” Douglass said. “I think we’re still together. We’re not focusing completely as a unit. If one guy slips up, it screws up the whole team.”Â
There’s a lot of slipping up to go around. Michigan looked lifeless for the first 35 minutes before back-to-back
Zack Gibson three-pointers cut Boston College’s lead to 57-46 with 4:17 left.
Even then, Michigan (3-3) couldn’t seem to get over the hump and it has put the Wolverines a far cry from where they started the season at No. 15 in the country and picked by analyst Len Elmore, who did the color for Wednesday’s game, to go to the 
Final Four.
“Backed up against the wall,” Novak said, describing where Michigan is right now. “Definitely. We just have some things we have to fix right now. We just, we have to get it done.”
Meanwhile, Michigan is in the position of losing games to teams that it might be compared to in March when the NCAA selection committee meets to pick the tournament field.
That may seem like a long way off, but Beilein acknowledged Michigan needs to find a way to win games like this.Â
“This is obviously a pretty good team,” Beilein said. “Or we’re really a bad team because they, I know the score came closer at the end but there was never a doubt who the better team was.”Â
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.
Comments
rensational
Thu, Dec 3, 2009 : 12:12 p.m.
Also, I don't understand the comparisons to last season as far as a slump. If memory serves me correctly, when Michigan went on a slide last season, it was losses to basically good teams. Michigan is doing the opposite right now. Alabama and BC are not good losses at all, and Michigan has no quality wins yet...probably won't get any quality non-conference ones, either.
rensational
Thu, Dec 3, 2009 : 12:09 p.m.
I don't think that just because some of us don't see the season going well for Michigan, that means we're fairweather fans. If you look at other Big Ten teams right now and also where they're expected to go this season, you can realistically think Michigan's in a world of trouble if they don't at least start shooting better. I don't see 10-22 like 2007-2008, but I do think Michigan looks more like that team right now than like last year's team. I agree with some points about Bo Ryan, though--they have a little more size, it seems, more upperclassmen...and I think Ryan is the best coach in the conference. I don't know what other Michigan fans want from the basketball team, but I'm thinking Beilein's style is not really going to win us the conference under him or get us farther than the Sweet 16 ever. I also don't think he's going to pay attention to people who say we should abandon 3-pters and jumpshots, even when they're not working. I honestly think he'd rather us lose games in his system than adjust in those games, and I don't mean that as a criticism. I'm getting sick of playing the "what's wrong with Michigan?" game in seemingly every sport now, though. After what we've been through with the football team, seeing the basketball and hockey teams underachieve is that much more worse of a feeling...and maybe that's why some people are "freaking out" right now about the basketball team. To me, it's like, "not you, too." They were supposed to be the bright spot for us, not football pt. 2.
guns4me
Thu, Dec 3, 2009 : 8:46 a.m.
Chosen1,Thats a funny one. Back to were your team belongs. Maybe the NIT, if that.
chosen1
Thu, Dec 3, 2009 : 7:40 a.m.
morris needs to sit on the bench. He's not ready to run the point. Need to use Harris like Ohio State uses Evan Turner. To the fairweather fans...this team is going to be fine. They are having some rough patches, but they will find their groove and finish in the top 4 in the big ten
48104
Thu, Dec 3, 2009 : 12:07 a.m.
Well, let's talk about Bo Ryan, shall we? He's been coaching in Madison for eight or nine years. His starters are two senior and three juniors. So perhaps you might see he might possibly have an advantage in the teaching thing over Beilein, beginning his third season and starting a senior, a junior, two sophomores and a freshman point guard.
aareader
Wed, Dec 2, 2009 : 11:28 p.m.
What a MELTDOWN! I like this team but for some reason skills, game savvy and intensity have gone south and stayed there. Coach Beilein also noted they have a LOT of work to do to get things back to the capabilities of this team. Let us hope, as mentioned above, this slump will soon pass.
eessddjj
Wed, Dec 2, 2009 : 10:36 p.m.
81 Wolverine: I am not so sure Beilein understands anything. I know his reputation is one of the best coaches in America, but I have seen nothing this year to even remotely demonstrate this characteristic. I am watching Wisconsin, clearly undermanned, leading Duke. Bo Ryan's team is patient, doesn't take stupid shots, he doesn't have gimmick defenses and his offense finds shots. I hate to say it but Michigan under the vaunted Beilein has yet to show any of these traits.
81wolverine
Wed, Dec 2, 2009 : 10:28 p.m.
One more thing.... Deshawn Sims should NOT be such a low point output (4 points) in a game his senior year. He should be scoring in well into double figures EVERY game. Inconsistency has been his biggest problem and it needs to end for Michigan to improve. Sometimes it just seems he's not trying that hard. I don't get it.
Jaxon5
Wed, Dec 2, 2009 : 10:26 p.m.
Prediction based on games played to date: Non - conference: W 6 L 6 (Losses to UConn, Kansas, Utah) Big 10 conference: W 3 L 15 (Wins vs Iowa and Indiana) Big 10 Tournament: W 1 L 1 Overall Record: W 10 L 22
81wolverine
Wed, Dec 2, 2009 : 10:23 p.m.
This was just a bad game for Michigan from start to finish. Right now, Michigan can't even be considered a mediocre team. Beilein MUST make some fundamental changes in this team now. For openers, we have no inside defense at all. I would scrap this stupid 4 guard offense right now, and at least put in Gibson as a starter. We need SIZE and rebounding in the middle. And for crying out loud - put Sims in the paint and keep him there. Bottom line: other teams are exploiting (attacking) our soft inside defense and we need to be more aggressive. Michigan absolutely MUST develop an inside game (8' and in). If we are cold (like we've been this whole season) we're dead without an ability to score inside. As a coach, surely Beilein understands this?! Michigan can't be an upper division Big 10 or NCAA tournament team by living and dying on the 3 point shot. Right now, it looks like we're going to be dying a lot more than living. I'd also put Anthony Wright in a lot more. He played well in the tournament last year and looked solid tonight. Plus, his big body can help inside. We HAVE TO do something different in coming games, otherwise the same type of lousy performance will continue.
michalllday
Wed, Dec 2, 2009 : 10:18 p.m.
This team has a long way to go. Way too many easy layups given up by our D. Our defense sucks. At least Michigan will know that the #15 by their name at the start of a season doesn't mean squat. They have lost 3 straight to non-ranked teams...wow. It would be 4 but we beat Creighton in OT. Deshawn Sims needs to step up for this team.
Macabre Sunset
Wed, Dec 2, 2009 : 10:12 p.m.
This team looks nothing like last year's team. Hopefully it will all gel when the conference play starts, but if they want a return trip to the dance, they will have to be better than they were last season in-conference. Rothstein needs to work a bit on his math there. How 'bout Illinois in the second half there? That was quite a statement on the road against a ranked team.
Jaxon5
Wed, Dec 2, 2009 : 9:58 p.m.
Absolutely a slump. While there were low points early last season, I don't remember such a long slide last year. Last year, there were some portions of early games played very well that indicated there were possibilities for the team. This year, there have been few moments that would cause one to be optimistic about the possibilities. The things they did well last year are not working well this year. The 3 point shots, the zone, the hustle, the free throws are all missing. The team has taken a step or two in a backward direction.
eessddjj
Wed, Dec 2, 2009 : 9:52 p.m.
Is this what we have been waiting since last year? Does Beilein understand that when no one and i mean no one can hit a three pointer that it is time to take it to the hoop. Why did Nowak play the whole game? He killed us time and again. They fooled me and like barnz378 I foolishly got my hopes up. As ugly as this game was from every perspective (coaching, coaching, shooting, coaching, defense (or the lack thereof) and hustle), the real ugliness of this game is that it is now clear that we are back to struggling to get into the NIT. Well I guess we can hope we don't finish last in the cellar like the football team.