One loss may have just undone all the hard work of Michigan’s 25-win season. However, the other NCAA teams would be keenly observing their loss to the Duke Blue Devils, which might have given them a clue to shut down Dusty May & co.

In a low-scoring match at the Capital One Arena, Jon Scheyer’s team prevailed 68-63. And it may have exposed Michigan’s offensive weakness, especially outside shooting, for all the NCAA teams to take note. The Field of 68: After Dark podcast analyzed the result, praising Duke for its defensive prowess while also pointing out Michigan’s offensive struggles.

“What Duke does isn’t something the other teams can replicate. And the reason I say that is because they’re so well-coached. They’re the best defensive team in the country,” they said before adding, “The only thing I’ll say on Michigan’s side that’s gotta be really concerning is shooting. Because their frontline didn’t play badly.”

In a game where both teams shot below 50% from the field, Duke outperformed Michigan in outside shooting, making 6 of its 19 attempts. The Wolverines, meanwhile, also made 6 three-pointers, but from 25 shots.

While most of the credit goes to Jon Scheyer’s defensive strategy, which, as the experts highlighted, is hard to replicate, it could give other teams pointers on how to solve the Michigan riddle, at least on one end of the court.

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Michigan has been averaging 35.7% from behind the arc this season. But it drops to just 28% when you combine the Wolverines’ performance in their losses to Duke and Wisconsin. Other teams can take this as a signal that Michigan’s outside shooting could nosedive during high-pressure situations.

Another interesting takeaway actually came from a play called by Duke head coach Jon Scheyer during a late-game timeout. He highlighted how the Michigan Wolverines were not switching defenders to react to ball screens, and that call played out perfectly. Cameron Boozer set the ball screen, leaving Isaiah Evans unguarded as he ran to the paint for a monstrous dunk.

The NCAA Tournament will feature Duke, Michigan, and 14 other seeded teams already announced by the NCAA. The Michigan Wolverines are the top seed for the annual tournament and will be strong favorites to qualify for the Sweet Sixteen with little trouble.

Michigan head coach Dusty May should realize these revelations could affect their chances in the NCAA Tournament, and he will need to work quickly to fix these issues.

Michigan head coach Dusty May focuses on the positives in the defeat to Duke

For a team with just one defeat so far, any loss toward the end of the regular season would be painful. And to lose to a fellow NCAA contender, Duke, will only increase the damage inflicted on Dusty May & co. However, the Michigan head coach is looking at the bright side of the defeat.

“We know more about our team now. We will be better because of this game, and overall, we didn’t rebound the way we needed to, and we made some timely errors… But proud of our guys, I thought we fought, we competed, we overcame some adversity, we stayed together. And, like I said, well, there are several learning lessons that we will have from this film and from this game, the way it felt live.”

A team like Michigan seldom finds itself in close games, thanks to its dominant performance this season. The Wolverines’ last proper test came in their 3-point win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. While no team likes to lose, the defeat will teach them more about the improvements Dusty May has to make in his team heading into the conference playoffs and the NCAA Tournament.

Also, the game against Duke gives them an important feel of how the matchup might go if they butt heads again in March. The tape will also provide opportunities to analyze the Duke team closely against their own playstyle, and this could provide better insights than watching film of Duke against other opponents.