For Wolverines, only real weakness is lack of leadership and experience

He didn't say it publicly on Twitter, but Zach Novak must have been going crazy during the first half of Michigan's game against Ohio State Sunday.

The former Wolverine and current professional player in the Netherlands was probably thinking the same thing as many Michigan fans as his alma mater and No. 2 team in the country committed turnover after turnover — looking completely discombobulated and out of sorts as the 15th-ranked Buckeyes raced out to a 29-8 lead Sunday in Columbus.

He probably also wished he could be on the court and in the Michigan huddle.

The Wolverines (16-1) sure could have used his leadership.

And therein lies the only glaring weakness for this talent-rich team that came one Sunday afternoon win — and one in-and-out 3-pointer — away from grabbing the No. 1 ranking in the country, falling instead to an experienced Ohio State squad, 56-53.

Zero.

That's the number of minutes played by Michigan seniors Sunday.

Ninety-nine.

That's how many minutes Michigan freshmen logged.

It didn't help that the Wolverines' best player — and national player of the year candidate — Trey Burke clearly did what he said he wouldn't, making the game in his hometown personal. Burke, who over the previous 10 games dished out 82 assists to 10 turnovers (absurdly good), forced shots and drives all day. The sophomore has been anointed Michigan's leader, and rightfully so considering the level he was playing at entering Sunday.

His leadership against the Buckeyes won't be featured in any books or seminars, that's for sure.

At this stage in the season, the Wolverines — even as supremely talented as they are — face two challenges:

1. Who will step into the role Novak — and to a lesser extent, Stu Douglass — excelled in last year, providing invaluable leadership in team huddles, keeping the team calm in hostile road environments?

2. Will the Big Ten's youngest team learn from this experience and be ready for the difficult environments the brutal conference schedule will present? Or will their youth continue to show?

I predicted before the season that the Wolverines would go undefeated in the nonconference portion of the schedule and 13-5 in the Big Ten. I stand by my prognostication. Winning on the road in this league is no easy thing; there's a reason the Vegas oddsmakers had the Buckeyes, with three losses, favored by a point and a half over the undefeated Wolverines.

The answer to the first question, though, is a bit of a mystery. Burke has worked on becoming more vocal — if not as in-your-face as the spirited Novak — and Hardaway has improved in this area, too.

I tend to think Sunday was an aberration for Burke, who lets his emotions get the best of him playing in Columbus. There won't be many more games where his turnovers equal his made field goals.

I also don't think we'll see a 15-minute stretch as ugly as the opening of this game, when the Wolverines were clearly rattled by the Buckeyes' perimeter-pressuring defense. Eight turnovers in the first 10 minutes and not reaching double figures until the 6-minute mark of the opening period are not part of the recipe for road success in the country's toughest league.

Freshman Glenn Robinson looked out of sorts early. Freshman Caris Lavert made a horrible pass that led to an Ohio State dunk. Even more surprisingly, Hardaway Jr. was indecisive, getting caught up in the air a few times instead of making strong moves to the basket like he had done all season.

And yet Michigan came thisclose to stealing a game in which it often looked lost. Much of the Wolverines' second-half performance showed why John Beilein and his staff are so good at their jobs. Gone were the layups the Buckeyes got during the first half when the over-eager Wolverines overplayed their men on the perimeter.

Ohio State scored just 22 second-half points on 31 possessions. That's rock-solid defense.

But after the Wolverines tied the game at 46 with 6 minutes remaining, they got 3 happy — attempting eight shots from beyond the arc as opposed to just a pair of twos down the stretch. And while Burke's final attempt wasn't a bad shot — in crunch time, you want your POY candidate launching the potential game-winner — the possessions that preceded the shot are what ultimately doomed the nation's last undefeated team.

Chalk up the lack of ball movement, the paucity of sharing the ball — something the Wolverines had done so well all season — to lack of experience and leadership, the qualities any squad regardless of talent needs to win against a good team on the road.

We won't have to wait long to see how Michigan learns from Sunday's experience. When they travel to Minnesota Thursday night, they'll be playing in a more hostile environment (The Barn) against an even better and much more explosive Gophers team.

This is just the beginning of a long grind for this young, talented team. And there will be more losses. Of that, I'm positive.

But if the Wolverines receive improved leadership from their older — but still young — players and learn from days like Sunday, they'll be in great position come early March to make this a very special season.