Michigan Basketball: Takeaways from much-needed road win over Iowa

2. Michigan basketball lacks consistency

There is no doubt that Juwan Howard’s Wolverines are incredibly talented. Between one of the best-recruiting classes that Michigan basketball has ever signed coming in as a freshman, and leaders such as senior guard Eli Brooks and sophomore center Hunter Dickinson, this Michigan basketball team has all the right pieces to be a real threat.

Though the Wolverines do not lack talent, their biggest downfall is that they do lack consistency. One night Michigan may look like the best team in the country, but they look incredibly vulnerable in the next.

A prime example of this inconstancy issue has come within the past two weeks. On February 10th, Michigan would face-off against No. 4 Purdue in Ann Arbor. Purdue is one of college basketball’s most complete teams and is led by Jaden Ivey, a potential top-five draft pick in the 2022 NBA draft.

Even though Purdue seemed to be unbeatable, especially for a struggling team like Michigan, the Wolverines would end up running the Boilermakers out of the gym. When the dust had settled, Michigan had dominated Purdue by a score of 82-58, the Boilermakers’ most significant loss on the season.

In the Wolverines’ next game, they would fall apart in the second half to No. 18 Ohio State at home and eventually drop the game by 11 points. Michigan would then bounce back from the loss with a quad one win over Iowa on the road, once again proving that Michigan could be a competitor, but lacks the consistency to be taken seriously.

This inconsistency will hurt the Wolverines if they look to make waves in postseason play. Come March, the Wolverines will need to find their rhythm and be locked in every night, or they will face early elimination.