4 months ago
- Wolverines
- Published: Jan. 03, 2026, 9:32 a.m.
ANN ARBOR — Michigan has won each 13 games this play and only 2 of them person been competitory successful nan last minutes. Here are nan margins for nan Wolverines’ past 10 games: 30, 41, 52, 18, 28, 41, 40, 30, 40, 25.
Three of those are Big Ten games, pinch others against nan likes of Auburn, Gonzaga, Villanova and San Diego State.
After nan latest butt kicking, Friday’s 96-66 location triumph complete USC, Michigan coach Dusty May admitted he’d ne'er seen thing for illustration it. “This is simply a heater,” he said.
Morez Johnson Jr., a sophomore guardant pinch acold little hoops experience, agreed. “This is crazy,” he said. “I’m conscionable grateful to beryllium here.”
It’s a tally not seen successful much than 50 years, since nan 1971-72 UCLA Bruins hit teams by an mean of 30 points en way to an undefeated play and sixth consecutive nationalist championship.
The Wolverines look to beryllium enjoying their occurrence without basking successful it.
“All glory is fleeting, arsenic you guys person heard maine say,” May said. He was already talking astir nan situation of going to Penn State adjacent week.
Johnson said nan postgame vibe was “enjoy tonight; beryllium fresh to activity tomorrow.”
“We’ve sewage to enactment locked successful and get amended each time because we cognize we person an extremity end astatine nan extremity of nan year,” he said.
Paint power
Michigan ranks first successful nan state successful 2-point shooting and 2-point defense. The analytics tract kenpom.com precocious added a stat that measures nan mean region of 2-point shots. Michigan forces nan longest 2-pointers of immoderate squad successful nan country.
That’s by design. Michigan’s protect crippled plans and executions person been impressive.
Against USC, nan Wolverines erstwhile again did not fto their discourtesy impact their defense. They started 2 for 19 from 3 and vanished conscionable 6 for 30 (20%). Their defense was locked successful from nan start; eventually, Michigan recovered immoderate offense, mostly from wrong nan arc and astatine nan foul line.
Johnson (29 points, 10 of 12 shooting) was an imposing unit each game. Elliot Cadeau had 7 assists, including 2 beautiful dimes to Johnson successful a 10-second stretch. Aday Mara had 2 assists: a touchdown walk and a touch-pass alley-oop successful transition. There whitethorn not beryllium different 7-footer successful assemblage hoops tin of making those passes, particularly nan latter. Four different Wolverines came disconnected nan chair and scored successful double figures against USC.
Johnson pointed retired this was conscionable different regular-season game. The Wolverines were already moving connected to nan adjacent one.
“We’ve sewage to beryllium excited for nan mentation that’s going to spell into giving america an opportunity to triumph that game,” May said. “But arsenic acold arsenic looking successful nan rear view, no. If we’re not learning from thing circumstantial aliases a past lesson, we’re not (doing that).”
Back to nan Big Ten
Michigan already had 2 Big Ten wins nether its belt, but Friday marked a agelong of convention play that will proceed uninterrupted — speech from a crippled against Duke successful precocious February — done early March.
“It felt for illustration this coming was nan commencement of nan Big Ten play,” May said. “And from nan jump it felt for illustration a Big Ten hoops game. Every possession, some teams challenged everything. It was highly physical.”
The Wolverines didn’t conscionable past nan opening minutes; they owned them. Nearly 7 minutes, Michigan led 11-0.
“I thought our guys group nan rules of engagement arsenic acold arsenic america sitting down successful a stance and being wished to defender immoderate highly potent violative players,” May said.
After Penn State, nan Wolverines big Wisconsin earlier headed westbound to look Washington and Oregon. It’s imaginable Michigan will beryllium a dense favourite successful each crippled until its 20th of nan season, a Jan. 30 sojourn to Michigan State.
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Andrew Kahn covers University of Michigan athletics for MLive. His superior thumps are Michigan football, men's hoops and women's basketball. He joined MLive successful 2017 aft antecedently freelancing for The Wall...
