40-minute game. I think that's the biggest takeaway for Michigan men's basketball after that

tough 70 to 68 loss to Virginia on Tuesday night at Chrysler Center. This Virginia team,

number three in the nation, they're undefeated now at 6 and 0, and they did to Michigan, what they

did to both Baylor and Illinois out in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago.

They were down at halftime, and they ended up outscoring both the Bears and the

Illini by double digits in the second half.

Same deal in Ann Arbor on Tuesday night.

Michigan was up 11 at the break.

Then Virginia limited the Wolverines to just 23 second half points and maybe more notably just

18 field goal attempts. The Wolverines had 31 in the first half during which they made 19 of them.

They scored those 45 points. They were shooting it better than 60%. So there were stretches in this

ballgame where Michigan absolutely competed with and was better than 60%. So there were stretches in this ballgame where Michigan absolutely competed

with and was better than the number three team of the nation, one of the biggest surprises in

college basketball so far this season. The Wolverine scored 68 points against one of,

traditionally, the most stringent defensive programs in college basketball.

And the Wolverines had some dynamite individual stretches from Hunter Dickinson,

Jed Howard, Kobe Buffkin.

But again, it's got to be for a full 40 minutes or at least a little bit more than what we

saw on Tuesday night.

There were stretches there that Michigan did not

boast in the first six games of the season. That first half, Michigan was able to go

six and oh in the first six games. Had they played like that, they would have gone into this

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