On Monday against Memphis, Michigan played one of its better halves of the season and took a six-point lead into halftime. On Tuesday against Duke, that was not the case at all. Michigan looked very tight in the first half against the Blue Devils, and the Wolverines are just not shooting the ball well at all. As a result, Michigan trails Duke after 20 minutes by a score of 34-22.
So far this has been a game of runs. Duke started the game with a 9-0 run, but Michigan battled back and cut the lead down to two points. Duke proceeded to go on another big run of its own and led by as many as 15 as the first half was coming to a close. A late three-pointer by Zack Novak cut the lead to 12 points, which is what the deficit is right now.
Michigan must improve its shooting in the second half. The Wolverines are a dismal 10-of-30 from the field and 2-of-11 from three-point land. Duke, on the other hand, is 13-of-20 from the field and 4-of-6 from behind the arc. The Blue Devils are also 4-of-7 from the free throw line. Michigan has yet to attempt a free throw.
If Duke hangs on to win this game, Michigan will play the loser of the Kansas/UCLA game, which is set to take place later in the night.