Michigan is headed to the Sweet Sixteen, not because of something it did on Saturday, but because of who it is. The Wolverines looked the part of a Final Four contender on Saturday, just like they have all season.
They weathered an early shooting barrage in both halves, but never wavered. Eventually, their size, passing, and versatility overwhelmed the Billikens. The two teams share similar offensive ideas and principles, but Michigan has one of the best rosters in the country, and Saint Louis has one of the best in the Atlantic 10.
The difference was apparent all night. Robbie Avila is one of the best passing bigs in the country, but Aday Mara is a half-foot taller than him and controlled the matchup. Saint Louis has versatile, athletic wings; Michigan has Dominican LeBron, a nickname that isn’t nearly as far-fetched as it should be.
Saint Louis battled well into the second half. The Billikens showed off their flashy five-out offense and had four or five-minute segments where they looked like they could hang with the Wolverines. They clawed back from a 12-point first-half margin to cut the game to two possessions in the second half, but Michigan had more in the tank.
The Wolverines were able to keep Saint Louis at arm’s length for most of the night, then delivered a knockout blow with a 16-3 run midway through the second half, headlined by a highlight poster dunk from Yaxel Lendeborg that will be the lasting image of the weekend.
The Wolverines are headed to Chicago — as they always expected to — and will play on, looking much like the team they’ve shown they can be all season.
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