updated: No. 15 Michigan loses to Alabama in the final seconds, 68-66, at the Old Spice Classic

Alabama's JaMychal Green, right, disrupts a pass from Michigan guard Matt Vogrich during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Old Spice Classic.

AP photo

This was the play Beilein wanted out of the huddle. Never mind that Morris hit one shot from the field all game and that he hadn’t made more than two shots in a single game throughout the entire tournament.

Beilein liked the freshman’s ability to get by people.

Looking back, though, he wasn’t happy with his last-second decision. Especially when he had another player with a similar ability and more experience - Manny Harris.

“We have another player we probably should have run, we still got to the rim,” Beilein said. “If Manny gets to the rim, something else may happen. They put two guys on Manny, couldn’t get there, but if I had to do it over again, I’d probably put Manny, make sure Manny got the ball somehow or call another timeout.

“Don’t like what I did. Didn’t like that finish.”

Beilein couldn’t have liked much of what he saw Sunday - or for most of the tournament. After the game, he harped on his indecisive guards, the latest in a litany of issues Michigan has had in the shadows of the Magic Kingdom.

Alabama's full-court press, in part, forced that indecisiveness. While the Crimson Tide (4-2) didn’t force too many steals with it, the press forced Michigan off just enough to send its whole offense into flux.

The Wolverines were off from three-point range for the second straight game, 6 of 25 on Sunday after a 3 of 20 performance in a semifinal loss to Marquette.

In all, the thing Michigan might have learned more than anything is the Wolverines are missing consistent options on offense after Harris, who was dominant for the third straight game. Harris had 26 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday, his third-straight game at the Old Spice Classic over 20 points. He also had 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the tournament.

His defensive play was big, too, forcing five steals.

“I’m not looking at that,” Harris said. “We came out with two losses so none of that really matters.

“We have to find a way to close out the game and get a win.”

Michigan (3-2) led by as many as 13 points in the first half, but withered down the stretch before a dunk by Harris gave Michigan a one-point lead, 66-65, with 1:06 left.

Alabama forward Justin Knox tied the game on a free throw and after a missed Harris three-pointer, Michigan went into its 1-3-1 that had worked well for much of the first half, much like it did Thursday against Creighton.

But Alabama corrected itself at halftime and on the game-winning possession for the Crimson Tide, Green slammed back a Senario Hillman miss with 5.4 seconds left in a soft part of the 1-3-1 between the middle and the man on the bottom.

It started a game-changing final seconds for Green.

“I was in the right place at the right time,” Green said.

On offense, yes. On defense, he read what was going to happen from midcourt when Morris turned the corner on the Alabama press. So he set his feet. He waited.

“So I tried my best not to foul him,” Green said.

He didn’t.

It sent Michigan to its second straight loss, a 1-2 finish in the Old Spice and the realization that the Wolverines aren’t as good right now as they might have thought.

“It’s still early, you know,” Sims said. “But it did let us know we’ve got a long way to go and that we wasn’t the Top 15 team in the country.”

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.