Michigan showed progress on Wednesday night in Charlotte, including sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin taking another massive step forward, but left empty-handed with its fourth loss.
The Wolverines couldn’t get out of their own way when it mattered most. They let a hot start slip away due to foul trouble and a pair of technicals in the first half. In the second, they battled back to a single possession with under two minutes to play, only for North Carolina to score on its final six possessions.
The time for moral victories is long gone, and Michigan’s 80-76 loss means that the Wolverines will enter Big Ten play without any coveted quadrant one victories in the non-conference slate.
The result felt fitting for a team that has flashed real talent and upside but lost because of the same issues that have plagued it all year.