University of Michigan basketball coach John Beilein claps on the sideline during the last few minutes of the Wolverine's 73-64 win at Crisler Arena on Sunday.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

It has been a tumultuous week for the Wolverines.

Early last week, associate head coach Jerry Dunn took an indefinite leave of absence. Redshirt freshman Ben Cronin’s hip injury was deemed bad enough to probably end his career.

Then Michigan played uninspired and lost its Big Ten opener on the road at Indiana before rebounding against the Buckeyes.

“When we walked into the office today, everyone has more bounce in their step,” Michigan coach John Beilein said Monday. “…We came out of it 1-1 and it could have been worse. We’re ready to move forward now going to Penn State.”

Beilein is hoping Sunday’s win is a turning point. Over the past few games, the Wolverines have shown flashes of being a better-than-competent Big Ten team. But they couldn’t finish off a run or stop an opponent’s charge.

“We couldn’t get the good basket to change the run,” Beilein said. “When Ohio State ended up doing that, DeShawn (Sims) made a really tough shot.

“…The biggest stop defensively, when they made that run, we weren’t able to do that. We would come out of the timeout and still not be focused on the next stop. That’s a big teaching point we hope we can grow on this week.”

Michigan learned how to do it Sunday, using Sims and Harris. But it’s something the Wolverines need to build on.

Looking for bench help

One shortcoming glaring through most of the season - and specifically Sunday - has been Michigan’s lack of scoring from the bench.

The Wolverines got nine points from their bench against Ohio State. Over the course of the season, the team's gotten an average of 12.2 points per game from the bench. Zack Gibson leads the reserves with a  4.8 ppg average.

The issue has caused Beilein to shorten his bench - freshman point guard Darius Morris was the only non-starter to play double-digit minutes against both Ohio State and Indiana - and it is a concern as the brunt of the Big Ten season beats up even the most physical teams.

“We did not go as deep as we have played before,” Beilein said. “I’m not putting our losses on our bench but we do need to play better or change that up.

“…We’re trying to figure out the best solution for us, be it rest or foul trouble that we have more bullets in our gun when we go to the bench.”

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.