Everything clicked for Michigan on Monday night in Las Vegas, and it ran San Diego State out of the building en route to a 94-54 win to open the Players Era Championship in style.
The storyline will be that a team that was winning ugly finally won clean (and then some), but this game was more about establishing what this team does best in permanent marker.
Michigan is built to dominate from the inside out, and it did exactly that against the Aztecs. The Wolverines won the battle in the paint 38-12. They shot 66% on 2-point attempts to San Diego State’s 26%. Michigan blocked five shots, San Diego State made three shots at the rim. Michigan rebounded 41% of misses to San Diego State’s 26%, winning the second-chance scoring battle 22-3.
How dominant was the Wolverine defense? San Diego State’s starting five made 6-of-36 shots from the floor and turned it over 11 times.
This is the team Michigan wants to be, and if Monday is any indicator, this is the team Michigan is. Now, the Wolverines will try to follow the same script two more times to be a million dollars richer and cement themselves as one of the country’s elite teams.
Join the UM Hoops Community
Join the only community dedicated to Michigan basketball
Get ad-free articles, recruiting, advanced stats, member-only discussion, and the most complete Michigan hoops analysis anywhere.
Already a member? Log In
