ANN ARBOR - Michigan coach John Beilein has tried different lineups, shifted the rotation a little bit and hoped something would work. Nothing did in Michigan’s 62-58 loss to Boston College on Wednesday.

Beilein left open the option of trying to flip things around when it comes to minutes and who plays when.

DeShawn Sims goes up for a dunk against Boston College on Wednesday night. The senior found himself in foul trouble at the end of the game.

Melanie R. Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

“You continue to nurture our players we have, recruit, get all those things down the line and keep our guys working in the weight room but this is not a simple thing to do,” Beilein said. “We also can change the rotation and try to get longer and stronger but we have to, on one-day prep there’s not a lot we can do.”

Michigan plays Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which started the season 0-5, on Saturday. It’ll be the first game since Houston Baptist not against a team that either played in the postseason last year or from a major conference.

At 3-3, expectations have starkly changes from where they were a month ago for this team.

“We have to focus on each game at a time,” senior forward Zack Gibson said. “We have to win, have to find a way to win and I’m sure we’ll be working hard at practice and we’ll be making some changes.”

Another off night for Morris

Freshman point guard Darius Morris has had a rough week of games.

He missed the potential game-tying basket against Alabama and hasn’t scored in double figures since the season-opener against Northern Michigan.

His shooting percentage has dropped each game, from 71.4 percent against Northern Michigan to 20 percent against both Marquette and Alabama to not taking a single shot Wednesday against Boston College.

And after his zero-point, zero-rebound, zero-assist performance, he admitted he’s been having moments where he feels pretty young.

“A little bit, you know,” Morris said. “BC did a great job of switching their defenses up. They didn’t stay in solid man, they didn’t stay in solid zone, and it’s my job to recognize what they are in and call the plays.

“They tell you you’re going to have those down moments as a freshman and it’s how well you can respond.”

Morris said he isn’t concerned about his numbers or minutes, which have dwindled from the 25-minute range to 15 minutes Wednesday. He is concerned about how he can help pick Michigan out of its funk.

“I’m looking at what I need to do to help the team as a whole right now,” Morris said. “We’re struggling at a lot of places and coach keeps saying that we’re really young and I know I’m one of those people.

“But I don’t want to be out here playing like a young freshman. I need to step my game up.”

Another solid night for Gibson

If there was one bright spot for Michigan on Wednesday it was another strong performance from Gibson. In a season-high 16 minutes, Gibson scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds.

The Grand Blanc native also gave Michigan its only spark of the day, hitting two three-
pointers late to try and let the Wolverines climb back into the game.

Beilein said he felt Gibson gave Michigan “good minutes” against Boston College.

“I’m just going to go out there and work hard every time I’m in the game and score if I’m open, pass if I’m not,” Gibson said. “Just work as hard as I can.”

Harris taking blame

If there is one guy who has been consistently putting up big numbers, it is Michigan’s star guard Manny Harris.

But the junior from Detroit still thinks he can do more, especially since Michigan is in a three-game funk in which while he has scored, he has not shot well.

“There’s things out there, either leadership or talking more or my defense, just a lot of areas I think I could make our team better and I’m not doing it,” Harris said. “They kind of feed off what I do and I don’t think I’m doing something right because there’s no way we can lose three straight games.”

This and that

Redshirt freshman center Ben Cronin, who didn’t play at all in Orlando, was forced into the game for the final two minutes of the first half due to foul trouble to both Gibson and DeShawn Sims. In his two minutes, he grabbed a rebound and blocked a shot, although he was also noticeably limping down the floor. … Michigan took more than 30 three-pointers for the first time since Feb. 22 at Iowa, when the Wolverines also took 34. … Despite Michigan’s struggles, the Wolverines committed only five turnovers. … Ted Valentine was one of Wednesday’s officials. … The announced crowd was 10,718.

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.