Michigan men's basketball coach John Beilein wins basketball games two ways: shooting and masterful defensive zones.

Well, it doesn’t always work — the Wolverines still lose games. But on Sunday afternoon, there was a definitive reason that Beilein’s team — one of four in Division-I without a single fourth-year player — pushed No. 3 Kansas to the brink in a 67-60 overtime loss.

And even a seven-year-old with the most rudimentary knowledge of basketball could have told you that Michigan didn’t keep it close because of shooting (the team finished with a miserable 4-of-28 performance from 3-point range).

The Wolverines (1-2 Big Ten, 11-5 overall) tied the game with seconds left in regulation because their defense kept them close throughout the second half, particularly when Beilein deployed his notorious 1-3-1 zone. As Michigan finally started to find its groove on the offensive end, the shutdown zone allowed the Wolverines to outscore the Jayhawks 33-26 in the second frame.

“I really can’t explain it,” Beilein said on Monday. “Sometimes, it just happens. And whether it’s a UConn, a Georgetown, a Villanova, a Duke, there’s things that happen in a game, and it gets into a flow when things don’t go well, and it starts to get a little mental.”

And Beilein was right — it was a bit mental, and Kansas came really close to beating itself at Crisler Arena. Kansas coach Bill Self’s squad shot just 35.7% from the field, and some of his more experienced players turned the ball over more than usual — especially in the final 10 minutes of regulation.

Beilein may be good, but he still needs some luck on his side to coach such an inexperienced team to a near victory over a top-10 offense. Illinois coach Bruce Weber may have dubbed him the “mad scientist” of college hoops at Big Ten Media Day in November, but Beilein doesn't have mythical abilities.

Self admitted after the game that his team played about as poorly as they possibly could have against the zone, even though it had prepared for it in practice all week.

But whether Kansas beat Kansas in the second half or whether Michigan beat Kansas in the second half, the bottom line is that the 1-3-1 was incredibly effective, and fans shouldn’t be surprised if Beilein starts running it more often as the season progresses.

On Monday, Beilein came close to alluding to one of the reasons why the zone works for his team before retreating and remembering that he doesn’t reveal that type of information to the media.

“The thing about the 1-3-1 is that it’s not as schematic as people think,” he said prior to the John Beilein Radio Show. “It can be a gimmicky thing at times, where it just works. And then there’s other times where you really can apply some strategy … I can’t speak too much about it, but if it works, we’ll use it more.”

Basically, the 1-3-1 is relatively easy to coach and manipulate, which is essential for the youthful Wolverines.

Beilein typically runs the zone with Tim Hardaway Jr. at the top of the diamond, near the half court line, and Stu Douglass at the other end on the baseline. Jordan Morgan or Jon Horford mans the paint, while the other two players take the wing.

And as the opposing guards dribble around the perimeter, Hardaway floats laterally, looking to trap the ball with one of his wingmen. When the ball goes to the corner, Douglass looks to trap the ball with one of his wingmen, and the rest of the zone rotates to make up for Douglass fleeing the baseline.

It’s truly a team defense — two players go to trap the ball, and the rest of the defense needs to move as a unit to cover the gaps created by the shift. And so far, the Wolverines have proven they could do just that against one of the top offenses in the nation.

“It’s not schematic — it’s a feel,” Beilein said.

And on Wednesday night, he’ll see if his team feels it against another one of the country’s best offenses — No. 2 Ohio State.