There's no such thing as a good loss. These players, coaches, staff members, they put too much into every game.

I don't care if it's the national championship game or an exhibition to desire anything but a victory.

We've heard from Juan Howard plenty of times. The phrase, this is for competitors only. Competitors want to win full stop.

With that established, though, I do think this is what could be a potentially

productive loss. Forget the low-hanging fruit of blaming Eli Brooks's absence. Of course, that was a key

part of the backstory on this one. This team cannot and will not reach its true ceiling,

its full potential, without Eli in uniform. But in terms of the productive part of this,

I think it will come in the lessons learned primarily in one key category. And if you followed

along with this game, you know exactly what that is. Turnovers. Michigan coughed up 20 a season

high. Those 20 ultimately led to 23 gopher's points. And on some of them, you just tip your cap to the

gophers. Minnesota played hard. They were ready for this one, and who could blame them? Just 11

days ago, Michigan took them to the woodshed. Others, though, were enforced. Unnecessary. Yet,

unfortunately, not uncharacteristic to this point this season. Turnovers have been one of the few

blips on the radar for this Michigan team, a squad that has accomplished a great deal so far.

It's one thing to understand that, to see that concerning number on the box score after a win.

And hey, Michigan racked up 11 straight victories despite being in the bottom tier of the Big 10 in turnovers pretty much the entire season.

It's another thing to see those turnovers directly leading to a loss.

I think this performance in this game will resonate a little bit more in that area.

Each turnover will sting a bit more as you watch it on film, and I do think progress will follow. This one stings for the

Wolverines. Again, for competitors, all losses do. I don't care the context. I don't care how

it happened. But if we're watching this team in February, March, hey, who knows, maybe early April,

and we watch a more buttoned up, a more turnover limiting club.

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