For most of the game, it wasn't pretty basketball, but Michigan will take its 64-44 win over North Carolina Central on Tuesday night.

So what can be gleaned from another Wolverines' win over another less-than-impressive opponent? Not a ton.

But the Wolverines (8-2) are settling into certain rotations and improving - especially down low. Here's what was stood out after watching the game again.

Starters: Guards Darius Morris and Zack Novak; Forwards Jordan Morgan, Evan Smotrycz and Tim Hardaway Jr.

Observations:
Jon Horford: Really like his post defense. He jumps post defenders well and tries to read passing angles. He cut those lanes off well against N.C. Central. That’s a testament to his footwork and his instincts. He still looks like he is reading too much on boxing out rebounds instead of doing things instinctively, but these are small nits in what was a breakout game for Horford. He’s shown the ability to hit the mid-range jumper and is a good rebounder. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when he gets bigger (and he will, his frame allows for it).

Pushing the ball: This worked well in the second half to open the game, but it took a half for Michigan to really understand and break down N.C. Central’s pressure defense. It also showed that when Darius Morris isn’t in the game, bringing up the ball on the press could be an adventure.

Michigan sophomore Darius Morris works around North Carolina Central junior Landon Clement on Tuesday.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Evan Smotrycz: His shot came back Tuesday, but he still looks confused. There were times where he appeared to be in the wrong place in the Michigan offense and press break - at least spacing-wise - and his defense leaves a lot to be desired as he seems too concerned with help-side D. He’s going to be a player, but his growth isn’t at the level of Tim Hardaway Jr. or even Horford at this point. That’s not a knock, but he’s going through a freshman learning curve. His rebounding looked better.

North Carolina Central: This team just didn’t look like it had much of an offensive plan if it wasn’t in transition. The Eagles also missed several layups.

Darius Morris: The sophomore point guard had his worst half of the year in the first half against N.C. Central and looked completely out of sorts. He clamped down in the second half.

Lineups: While it won’t be the starting lineup, really liked the look Michigan can give with Morris, Stu Douglass, Tim Hardaway Jr., Smotrycz and Horford on the floor. All can shoot from at least 16 feet and there’s a lot of size in there. Novak and Douglass could be interchanged - but it might be the best shooting lineup for Michigan going forward.

Stu Douglass: It isn’t noticed a lot, but Douglass has been doing a lot of teaching on the floor. He spent a break in the first half explaining something to Horford and then, coming out of halftime, took a moment to explain a cut to guard Eso Akunne. He’s quietly - along with Novak - been doing this well all season long.

Rotation: There are eight guys who have played well enough to earn consistent playing time - Morris, Novak, Douglass, Smotrycz, Morgan, Hardaway Jr., Vogrich and Horford. Wouldn’t shock me if that ends up being the majority of the rotation going forward once Big Ten play starts. That rotation also provides a good amount of size (Horford, Morgan, Smotrycz, Hardaway Jr.), slashing ability (Hardaway Jr., Morris), a strong point in Morris and a bunch of decent-to-good shooters.

Michigan-N.C. Central Box (from Statsheet)

Michigan Player Impact (Courtesy of Statsheet.com)

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