After three easy victories to open the season, Michigan Basketball played host to a Long Beach State team they were hefty favorites over. After jutting out to an early lead, Long Beach's 1-3-1 zone temporarily slowed down the Michigan offense, allowing the LBSU offense to take advantage of a woeful Michigan defense to make the game close at halftime. The teams traded punches in the second half, but it was Long Beach that won the crucial closing minutes, feasting on Michigan turnovers and outworking them on the offensive glass to secure the upset win.

[Click the JUMP for bad defense and the box score]

If you watched just the first seven minutes, the outcome of the game likely would be hard to believe. Michigan ran out to a hot start, taking a 23-7 lead as Dug McDaniel was searing hot from deep. He opened the game with a three pointer and knocked down two more before the under 12 timeout could arrive. Michigan's sizzling offense had no problem ripping apart Long Beach, just as they had the preceding three opponents, and the defense was holding up.

Around the midway point of the first half, that began to change. After Michigan led 32-20, the visitors would embark on a 11-2 run that made the game competitive again. Nimari Burnett landing in foul trouble (his second foul came with 8:05 left in the first half) seemed to signal the start of the LBSU run, while Michigan's offense stagnated for just long enough against Long Beach's zone to give their offense a chance to get going. That aspect of the ball was far more concerning for Michigan and would only grow in importance as the second half got going. 

[Marc-Gregor Campredon]

Michigan led 50-48 at the break, five points from Long Beach star-of-the-night Marcus Tsohonis to push the lead to just two at halftime. Michigan came out of halftime and got the first score on a Tarris Reed Jr. layup, but beginning with LBSU's first score with 18:29 to go in the half, the defense would embark on a cataclysmic six minute stretch. Over those six minutes, Michigan allowed LBSU to score 21 points on 10/13 shooting(!!), including four layups/dunks. There were a couple impressive shots made by Long Beach, including a near-logo 3 from Tsohonis, but Michigan's overall defensive intensity was nonexistent, breaking down against drives, allowing simple passes to open players for easy buckets. Defending the glass was just as bad, with a couple of those buckets coming as second-chance scores, which would hurt Michigan routinely in the second half. 

By the time Phil Martelli called timeout and the six minute stretch was up, the complexion of the game had changed. It was now 69-64 LBSU and Michigan was suddenly in very real trouble. They didn't shy from adversity, clawing their way back with Olivier Nkamhoua leading the way for the Wolverines. His dunk trimmed the score to 71-69 and kept Michigan within two via a layup a couple possessions later. A few minutes after that, Nkamhoua's contested fadeaway swished to even the score at 75. With 5:48 to go, the game was tied. 

Michigan's defense was not great, but they were doing enough to wrest seeming control of the game over the next couple minutes as Nkamhoua kept cooking. His second-chance dunk off a Dug McDaniel missed layup gave Michigan their first lead in some time, 77-75. A minute later, Nkamhoua completed an and-one dunk resulting from a possession that saw Michigan snatch three offensive rebounds. They led 80-76 with 4:28 to play and after rebounding a Tsohonis miss, had the ball. That's when things went off the rails. 

Ironically, it was Nkamhoua, Michigan's best player in the second half, who made the mistake that began Michigan's slide into misery, a bad offensive foul away from the play that gave the ball back to LBSU. On their ensuing possession, Messiah Thompson swished a three coming off a screen to trim the lead to one. Michigan went up the floor and Tarris Reed Jr.'s terrible pass was thrown right to Jadon Jones, who ran in transition and finished off a fast-break layup to give LBSU an 81-80 lead. Michigan took the lead back after Olivier Nkamhoua converted on a layup and was fouled, but missed the free throw to complete the and-one. 82-81 Wolverines, 2:39 left. 

LBSU's next possession was yet another instance of a drive collapsing the defense, leading to a pass and a dunk, the same defensive bugaboo that had haunted Michigan all second half. Down 83-82, Michigan again turned it over after Nkamhoua's attempted layup was blocked by Aboubacar Traore. Long Beach missed two layups on their next possession but overwhelmed Michigan on the rebounds, recovering two offensive rebounds and tying a ball up for a held ball (LBSU owned the possession arrow). They inbounded the ball and Thompson drove for a layup to give the team an 85-82 lead. Michigan's commitment to killing themselves with turnovers continued as Nkamhoua threw a horrible pass, intercepted by Traore, which led to a Tsohonis hook shot. LBSU led 87-82 with 52 seconds left and Michigan was on the brink. 

The Wolverines weren't completely dead, as Dug McDaniel would hit a three to trim the lead to 87-85, but what did kill them encapsulated the evening. They intentionally fouled Traore with 19 seconds left, he made the first but missed the second and no one bothered to box Traore out, who ran straight up and tapped his own rebound in. 90-85 and the game was over. The final dozen-and-a-half seconds played out in usual fashion but the outcome was not in doubt and when the final horn sounded at 94-86, Long Beach State had their big upset.