The Michigan men’s basketball team is the darling of the college basketball world after winning the Players Era Festival in dominant fashion, defeating San Diego State by 40, No. 21 Auburn by 30 and No. 12 Gonzaga by 40.
The Wolverines made history in multiple ways in that Las Vegas showcase, becoming the first team in the AP Poll era (1948-49) to have back-to-back 30-point wins against ranked opponents. The Wolverines are also the first team over the last 50 years to win consecutive games by 30 or more points against teams that made last year’s NCAA Tournament. And notably, Michigan handed Gonzaga head coach Mark Few the most lopsided loss of his head coaching career, which dates back to 1999.
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The Wolverines have rightfully earned a lot of praise from the national college basketball media, and these blowout victories prove Michigan is capable of winning the National Championship. Here are three reasons Michigan can win it all.
A dominant frontcourt
Michigan’s size played a huge factor in demoralizing San Diego State, Auburn and Gonzaga last week.
As I touched on after the Gonzaga win, it’s hard to get used to a frontcourt that features 6-foot-9 Yaxel Lendeborg, 6-foot-9 Morez Johnson Jr. and 7-foot-3 Aday Mara. All three of them play well together, with Lendeborg’s playmaking, Johnson’s physicality, and Mara’s rim protection and offensive touch giving Michigan an advantage to begin games. And just when opponents start to get a rhythm going, Dusty May subs in Roddy Gayle Jr., who comes in fresh and changes the game on both ends of the floor.
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Momentum is pivotal in college basketball, and Michigan’s super-sized frontcourt often doesn’t allow the opposing team to get momentum. The size on both ends is overwhelming, and much like a good offensive line, a good frontcourt wears on any opponent as the game goes along.
Elite defense
The Wolverines boast the No. 1 defense on KenPom as of this writing, and that ranking passes the eye test; teams struggled to score against Michigan consistently this past week. That defense is anchored by Mara, whose sheer size deters opponents from driving to the rim. Michigan’s opponents are shooting just 36.9 percent on two-point attempts, a mark that’s No. 1 in the country.
Opposing teams are funneled towards Mara, but the Wolverines also rotate well and play exceptional on-ball defense. The quick hands of Trey McKenney and L.J. Cason, in particular, have led to a lot of easy transition buckets. I would argue there’s not a bad defender in Michigan’s nine-man playing rotation — everyone holds their own and there’s no weakness for teams to exploit.
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As May discussed, a lot went right in that tournament, but great, versatile defense made life easy.
“Defensively, we thought because Morez guarding 1-5, Yaxel guarding 1-5, Elliot Cadeau’s feistiness … we have guys off the bounce, and they’re smart, and they can cover for each other,” May said to The Field of 68 after the Auburn win. “They’re dangerous.”
Good luck to other teams trying to score on the Wolverines this season.
Crucial depth
In the era of NIL and transfer portal prevalence, depth is more important than ever, and the Wolverines roll with a nine-man unit that is clicking on all cylinders.
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Michigan’s starting lineup is intimidating enough, with that three-man frontcourt, an assist machine in Elliot Cadeau, and a reliable two-way wing in Nimari Burnett. But what separates Michigan from other top teams is there’s no drop-off in the second unit. Michigan was just as dominant in this three-game stretch when Gayle, McKenney, Cason and Will Tschetter were on the floor.
Michigan is still experimenting with lineups, but having this depth protects the Wolverines from foul trouble and allows malleability. Michigan can win with a big lineup, but can go small when it needs to. That flexibility is going to be pivotal in Big Ten play, and even more important in March and April.
