For the second time in less than 24 hours, Michigan broke an opponent. This time, it happened before halftime. The Wolverines led 59-31 at the break, and spent the second half tinkering and toying with the Tigers en route to a 102-72 win.
Michigan was favored by single digits in both pool play games in Vegas, and won them by a combined 50 points. Now, they’ll play Gonzaga in the Players Era Championship game in a battle of No. 1 vs . No. 4 on KenPom.
Michigan spent three weeks figuring out what it was before Las Vegas, and looked well short of the team that most expected in the preseason. Through two games in the desert, they look significantly better than anyone imagined.
The Wolverines put 80 minutes of near-perfect basketball on film over the last two days at Mandalay Bay, showcasing the upside and talent on the roster, as well as the willingness to defend, share the ball, and play for each other.
It wasn’t one, two, or three players carrying the team; it was everyone who saw the floor. Tonight, that list extended all the way down to Oscar Goodman, who threw down a poster dunk, and Winters Grady, who got on the board with a 3-point make late.
Michigan has a chance to win the most impressive preseason tournament in college basketball on Wednesday and take home an extra million dollars. Still, the biggest takeaway from the last two days is that this roster, and more importantly, this team, is good enough to aim for taking down the trophy that matters in April.
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