Michigan coughs up big lead, suffers gut-punch loss to No. 14 Oklahoma

James Hawkins, The Detroit News on Dec 19, 2024

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With nonconference play winding down, Michigan had one last chance to bolster its resume with a marquee win in a top-25 matchup.

The No. 24 Wolverines couldn’t seize the opportunity and fell to No. 14 Oklahoma on a late four-point play in the Jumpman Invitational, 87-86, on Wednesday at the Spectrum Center.

Vlad Goldin scored 26 and Danny Wolf 15 but Michigan couldn’t overcome a woeful 4-for-28 shooting night from 3-point range and couldn’t hold onto another double-digit lead in the second half.

Roddy Gayle Jr. added 15 points and Tre Donaldson 14 for the Wolverines (8-3), who fell to 0-3 in the third year of the four-team event in gut-wrenching fashion.

Goldin and Wolf carried Michigan throughout the first half but received more help in the second half. After Oklahoma pulled even at 43 a minute out of the break, the Wolverines rattled off a string of 11 unanswered points that featured one stop after another and seven straight points from Gayle.

The spurt ended with the Wolverines forcing a shot clock violation on one end – on a contested 3-pointer by Wolf that missed the rim – and Donaldson scoring at the rim on the other end to make it 54-43 with 15:13 to play.

Michigan struggled to pull away as it couldn’t buy a 3-pointer and started 0-for-7 from deep in the second half. Oklahoma fought back and pulled within 58-55.

Donaldson snapped the cold stretch with a 3-pointer at the 11:20 mark. Rubin Jones added another deep ball a minute later. A nifty drive and finish by Donaldson put Michigan up, 68-57, midway through the half.

Once again, Michigan couldn’t put Oklahoma away. The Sooners made another push and cut the deficit to two on back-to-back 3-pointers from Jeremiah Fears and Duke Miles before they used a 9-0 spurt to pull ahead.

A bad pass by Wolf led to a turnover and second-chance dunk. A post entry feed by Gayle was intercepted and led to a layup the other way. Oklahoma took a 78-74 lead with 5:15 to go.

Michigan fought back and regained the lead. After an offensive foul on Fears, Goldin hit a hook shot to tie it at 82. Then after a steal by Goldin, Nimari Burnett hit two free throws to put Michigan up, 84-82, with 1:51 to go.

The Wolverines couldn’t hold on from there. Goldin grabbed a crucial offensive rebound and knocked down two clutch free throws. Wolf came away with a steal with a minute to go. But after Michigan came up empty on a turnover by Gayle, Fears drained a deep 3-pointer while being fouled by Gayle and converted the four-point play to make it 87-86 with 11 seconds left.

Michigan had a chance to win on the final possession but Donaldson’s 3-pointer missed the mark.

Fears finished with 30 points and Jalon Moore 16 for Oklahoma (11-0), which shot 12-for-25 from 3-point range and outscored Michigan 36-12 from beyond the arc.

The Sooners entered play Wednesday as one of four undefeated Division I teams, along with No. 1 Tennessee, No. 7 Florida and Drake. The top-25 matchup marked Michigan’s last opportunity to pick up a marquee nonconference win, with home games against Purdue Fort Wayne and Western Kentucky up next before Big Ten play resumes after the new year.

Coming off a week break between games, Michigan didn’t show any signs of rust. The frontcourt tandem of Goldin and Wolf continued their menacing ways and did the heavy lifting in the first half.

On one pick-and-roll play, Wolf flipped a pass to Goldin, who slipped on a screen, for a layup. On another pick-and-roll between the two 7-footers, Wolf split a pair of Oklahoma defenders with a behind-the-back move and finished at the basket.

During one stretch where the Wolverines made seven consecutive shots and ripped off a 15-3 run, Goldin and Wolf combined for five of those baskets. Goldin scored on two layups at the rim and knocked down a hook shot. Wolf drained a 3-pointer and split two defenders for another basket.

Donaldson capped the flurry by dropping defender, scoring in the lane and forcing an Oklahoma timeout as Michigan took a 21-13 lead with 12:02 left in the half.

While Michigan had the advantage inside and on the glass, Oklahoma had the edge from beyond the arc. The Sooners made six of their first seven attempts from 3-point range, with the sixth deep ball cutting the deficit to 29-26 at the 8:16 mark.

But Goldin and Wolf kept Michigan in front, and good things continued to happen when the two were on the floor together. Wolf corralled an offensive rebound and scored on a putback. Goldin hit a turnaround jumper from the free-throw line to beat the shot clock and emphatically swatted a shot out of bounds.

The two big men each reached double digits in scoring in the first half and combined for 27 points on 11-for-15 shooting to give Michigan a 43-38 lead at halftime.