On Friday, the No. 7 Michigan men’s basketball team lost a high-scoring shootout to Cincinnati by a score of 100-98 in an exhibition game.

The Wolverines had a very rough first half, entering the break down 52-34, but had a much more complete second half to nearly complete the comeback. Second-year head coach Dusty May wasn’t too concerned with the actual outcome of the game, so he spent much of the first half experimenting with lineups and personnel, which contributed to the discombobulated look on the court.

There were some very promising moments, but also some things May will want to clean up before the start of the regular season. They’ll have one more chance before the season officially starts, as the Wolverines are set to take on St. John’s in another exhibition Saturday, Oct. 25.

Here are five key takeaways from Michigan’s first exhibition of the new season…

Yaxel Lendeborg Is Legit

Graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg lived up to the hype Friday night. The UAB transfer put up 31 points and 12 rebounds on 10-for-16 shooting from the field, and a perfect 9-for-9 on free throws. It took him the first half to adjust, but Lendeborg found his rhythm in the second half, scoring 26 of his 31 points and sparking the Wolverines’ comeback.

This is exactly the kind of performance that Michigan expected out of Lendeborg when he committed to the Wolverines. He was in total control on both offense and defense, and never looked overmatched. Michigan’s offense was at its best when it ran through Lendeborg, especially in the second half. If he continues to produce at this rate, he’ll be quite an enjoyable watch all winter.

Young Guards Can Fight For A Role

Something that was apparent from the jump against the Bearcats was the need for a second ball handler behind junior guard Elliot Cadeau. Outside of Cadeau, the Wolverines were consistently pushed to their back foot and looked uncomfortable against Cincinnati’s pressure. This wasn’t unexpected, as Cadeau is the Wolverines only proven ball handler at the college level, but they’ll need someone that can take over the lead guard role when Cadeau leaves the game.

Michigan has a couple of options, but they’re all young and relatively inexperienced. The options come down to sophomore guard L.J. Cason and freshmen guards Trey McKenney and Winters Grady. Cason is the most likely option and has the most experience, breaking out at the end of last season, but he has been battling an injury recently and only got limited looks against Cincinnati.

Asking freshmen to take on ball-handling duties is a big gamble, but both McKenney and Grady will most likely get a shot to prove that they can do it.

Defense Looked A Little Shaky

The 100 points allowed by Michigan isn’t lying, it’s indicative of how the defense looked at times. Like last season, May is inclined to run a switch-heavy defense on both on- and off-ball screens. While this can certainly be tough for opposing offenses to navigate when done correctly, it can also lead to wide open shots for the opponent if there are miscues.

Michigan’s rotations weren’t as crisp as they needed to be on the switches, and the Bearcats took advantage. It’s not abnormal for a defense to be rusty and a tad out of sync in the first exhibition game, but the Wolverines will definitely want to clean some things up on the defensive side of the ball.

Turnover Troubles Might Not Be Vanquished

Excessive turnovers were the Wolverines’ biggest vice last season, and in the first half against Cincinnati, it looked like turnovers were back to haunt Michigan once again. In the first half alone, the Wolverines gave the ball up a whopping 16 times, which was no small part of why they entered halftime down by 18 points.

For the time being, this can be attributed to preseason rustiness — and Michigan did clean it up substantially in the second half, recording just six turnovers — but the rustiness explanation doesn’t last forever. Not coincidentally, the Wolverines mounted quite the comeback in the second half as well, so Michigan will be in a good spot if it can take care of the ball like it did in the second half.

Michigan’s Front Court Is Banged Up

Two of Michigan’s key contributors were out due to injury against the Bearcats. Junior center Aday Mara and sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. were both unable to suit up for the Wolverines. Johnson and Mara both figure to be major parts of Michigan’s front court, and it’s an incomplete team without them.

There’s no indication that they will be out long term, which is big for the Wolverines, given that outside of Lendeborg, they lacked a real presence in the paint. Getting Mara and Johnson back should make a big difference for Michigan.

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