Three takeaways: Michigan shoots lights out in 94-67 rout of Miami (OH)

Michigan basketball got off to a slow start Monday night against Miami (OH), but the Wolverines caught fire late in the first half, and that momentum carried into the second half as the Wolverines dominated the RedHawks, 94-67.

With the win, Michigan now improves to 3-1 on the season. Below are three takeaways from the impressive win.

Michigan put together an uninspiring offensive performance in Friday’s win over TCU. The Wolverines scored 76 points and shot 50 percent from the floor, but they turned the ball over 21 times — 16 of which came in the first half — in the win.

The turnover issues improved during the win over TCU, but it was still an issue in the win.

Dusty May talked about the turnovers after Friday’s win over the Horned Frogs.

“We’re encouraging them to play a lot faster than they’ve ever played,” May said. “The decisions are quicker, they see bigger bodies. A lot of these guys that came from the American Conference, or especially the Ivy League Conference, they see more length, they see more speed. And so we don’t panic, we just keep going to tighten up a little, tighten up a little.”

Michigan struggled to tighten up during Monday night’s win over Miami (OH). The Wolverines committed 12 turnovers in the first half against the RedHawks, and those 12 turnovers led to nine points for Miami (OH).

The turnover bug has yet to bite Michigan, but if the Wolverines continue to cough up the rock at this rate, they will be bound to lose games consistently when Big Ten play begins.

A big part of Michigan’s team turnover problem has been Danny Wolf’s inability to take care of the ball. The Yale transfer has been scoring at a good clip — he entered the Miami (OH) contest averaging 12.3 points per game — but he’s been the biggest turnover culprit this season.

Through four games this season, Wolf has turned the ball over a total of 20 times, which is good for five turnovers per game. He tallied six turnovers in the 72-70 loss to Wake Forest.

In four games, Wolf has yet to turn the ball over less than four times per game. match. Wolf has recorded three five-turnover games so far this season, while no other Wolverine has reached that mark in a single game this year.

Wolf has been one of Michigan’s most consistent scorers, but the 7-footer needs to cut down on turnovers for the Wolverines to succeed. Michigan is clearly a significantly better team when it doesn’t turn the ball over, and Wolf doing his part to take care of the ball would go a long way.

It appears to be boom or bust with Michigan’s offense. Either the Wolverines turn the ball over, connect on a fastbreak layup or sink a triple. Plenty of time has been spent talking about the busts, so let’s pay some attention to the booms.

Michigan shot 58.3 percent from the floor and 48.3 percent from beyond the arc in the blowout win. If the Wolverines have proven one thing this year, it’s that they can shoot the ball with great accuracy.

Tre Donaldson, Sam Walters and Nimari Burnett are all shooting 50 percent or better through four games this season.

On Monday night, the Wolverines flexed their muscles by going deep on the bench and getting solid production from nearly every player.

Things got off to a slow start for May’s team, but nine players finished with at least five points and seven players had at least eight points. Michigan certainly passes the eye test offensively, and if it can cut down on turnovers, it should be one of the more efficient units in the entire country.

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