Michigan is headed to its first Final Four since 1993 (Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)

Two weeks ago, Michigan was left for dead. Limping into the NCAA Tournament with a 6-6 record over the previous 12 games, the Wolverines were the sexy pick to be upset in the first round by South Dakota State. Now, John Belien’s squad is one of only four teams still standing and is headed to Atlanta next weekend for the Final Four.

Ask any Michigan fan before the season started what result they would be happy with and Sweet 16 would probably be just fine. Even two weeks ago, simply reaching the Sweet 16 seemed a lofty goal. But now, the Wolverines may be playing better than any team in the tournament with two 20-plus-point victories in four games.

Nik Stauskas stole the show against the Gators (Tom Pennington, Getty Images)

After a gritty and heroic comeback on Friday night, Michigan carried its momentum into Sunday’s matchup with SEC regular season champion Florida. The Maize and Blue raced out to a 13-0 lead before the Gators could even blink. When Florida finally did get on the board, Michigan answered with a Trey Burke three. The onslaught continued as Michigan held a 25-8 lead 10 minutes in.

Despite a three-minute cold spell by Michigan, Florida was unable to capitalize, scoring just two baskets of their own during the span. By the under-four timeout, Michigan had grabbed its largest lead of the game at 41-17 thanks to Nik Stauskas’ five first half three-pointers. Florida was able to close the half on a 13-6 run to narrow Michigan’s halftime lead to 47-30.

In the second, Florida threatened to make a game of it, scoring the first six points of the stanza and pulling within 11. But after nearly four scoreless minutes, it was Stauskas once again drained a three to get Michigan back in business. Florida would never seriously challenge again and Michigan kept the foot on the gas pedal for the remaining 16 minutes to win convincingly, 79-59.

Stauskas led all scorers with 22 points, connecting on all six three-point attempts. Burke scored 15 and dished out seven assits, while Mitch McGary continued his impressive tournament play, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds, narrowly missing a third straight double-double. The performances by both Stauskas and McGary were good enough to earn them a spot on the all-region team for the South Regional, which was headlined by most outstanding player, Burke.

As a team, Michigan shot a blistering 51.4 percent in the first half to race out to the big lead, and while it cooled down in the second, the Wolverines still finished the game with a 46.2 clip – well above what Florida’s defense has allowed all season. Michigan also hit 10-of-19 three-pointers.

Michigan now has a few days off before facing 4-seed Syracuse for a spot in the national championship game. Saturday night’s game will be the Wolverines’ first Final Four since the days of the Fab 5 in 1993.

After 35 years of coaching, John Beilein is headed to his first Final Four (David J. Phillip, AP)

#10 Michigan (4) vs #14 Florida (3) | ELITE 8
Sunday, Mar. 31 | 2:20pm ET | CBS
29-7 (12-6)	Record	29-7 (14-4)
Slippery Rock 100-62 IUPUI 91-54 Cleveland State 77-47 Pittsburgh 67-62 Kansas State 71-57 NC State 79-72 Bradley 74-66 W. Michigan 73-41 Arkansas 80-67 Binghamton 67-39 West Virginia 81-66 E. Michigan 93-54 C. Michigan 88-73 Northwestern 94-66 Iowa 95-67 Nebraska 62-47 #9 Minnesota 83-75 Purdue 68-53 Illinois 74-60 Northwestern 68-46 #10 Ohio St. 76-74 OT Penn State 79-71 Illinois 71-58 #9 Michigan St. 58-57 Purdue 80-75 Penn State 83-66 S. Dakota State 71-56 VCU 78-53 #3 Kansas 87-85 OT	Wins	Alabama State 84-35 #22 Wisconsin 74-56 Middle Tenn. St. 66-45 Savannah State 58-40 UCF 79-66 Marquette 82-49 Florida State 72-47 SE Louisiana 82-43 Air Force 78-61 Yale 79-58 Georgia 77-44 LSU 74-52 Texas A&M 68-47 #17 Missouri 83-52 Georgia 64-47 Mississippi State 82-47 South Carolina 75-36 #16 Mississippi 78-64 Mississippi State 83-58 #25 Kentucky 69-52 Auburn 83-52 Arkansas 71-54 Alabama 64-52 Vanderbilt 66-40 LSU 80-58 Alabama 61-51 Northwestern St. 79-47 Minnesota 78-64 FGCU 62-50
#15 Ohio State 56-53 #3 Indiana 73-81 Wisconsin 62-65 OT #8 Michigan St. 52-75 Penn State 78-84 #2 Indiana 71-72 #22 Wisconsin 59-68	Losses	#8 Arizona 64-65 Kansas State 61-67 Arkansas 69-80 Missouri 60-63 Tennessee 58-64 Kentucky 57-61 Mississippi 63-66
75.4	Points Per Game	72.0
63.1	Scoring Defense	53.8
1,017-for-2,094 (48.6%)	Field Goal %	915-for-1,897 (48.2%)
867-for-2,049 (42.3%)	Def. Field Goal %	675-for-1,788 (37.8%)
270-for-708 (38.1%)	3-point %	294-for-769 (38.2%)
229-for-705 (32.5%)	Def. 3-point %	179-for-593 (30.2%)
412-for-584 (70.5%)	Free Throw %	397-for-583 (68.1%)
11.4	FT Made/Game	11.3
35.2	Rebounds Per Game	35.0
31.9	Opp. Reb. Per Game	30.1
14.4	Assists Per Game	14.7
9.3	Turnovers Per Game	11.1
6.1	Steals Per Game	7.1
2.7	Blocks Per Game	3.3
G – Trey Burke (18.9) G – Tim Hardaway Jr. (14.8)	Leading Scorer	F – Erik Murphy (12.6) G – Kenny Boynton (13.7)
F – Mitch McGary (6.1) F – Glenn Robinson III (5.6)	Leading Rebounder	C – Patric Young (6.3) F – Will Yeguete (5.8)

Call them the comeback kids, call them what you will, but the Michigan Wolverines, by far the youngest team in the tournament from the very beginning, simply will not give up. Two nights ago, the Maize and Blue found themselves trailing by 14 points to Kansas with fewer than 10 minutes to go and by double digits within the final three minutes. Computer predictors were giving Michigan a slightly-less-than 2 percent chance of winning the game before Trey Burke and Glenn Robinson III willed the game into overtime where the Wolverines seemed just a bit hungrier than the Jayhawks.

Today, at 2:20pm on CBS, Michigan takes on a Florida team that has just missed out on the Final Four two seasons in a row, and with five upperclassmen starting, the Gators are certainly not going to roll over and die.

Two weeks ago, Michigan wasn’t supposed to make it out of the first weekend, and even today, fans still cannot believe where the team has made it. But here they are, battling for a spot in the Final Four for the first time in nearly two decades. Let’s take a quick look at three keys if Michigan should advance:

1. Contain Erik Murphy: Billy Donovan’s squad is loaded with talent across the board, and all five of his starters can score the ball – each averages at least 9.3 points per game and four score in double digits. Erik Murphy, the Gators’ 6’10″, 238-pound stretch-four senior, however, is the best of the bunch in my opinion. The South Kingstown, Rhode Island native takes just over half of his shots from behind the three-point line and makes 45.9 percent of them. Inside the arc he is just as deadly, making 63 percnet of his looks from lay-ups to mid-rangers. If Murphy were four inches shorter, he would be a great player, but nothing unheard of. Unfortunately for Michigan, he’s not. Glenn Robinson III will be tasked with guarding Murphy from the beginning and needs to make sure he is constantly hounding him around the court.

Murphy is such a good shooter that Robinson needs to always be aware of his position on the floor and never help off. Obviously Michigan has some depth in the big man department, but Jon Horford and Jordan Morgan are much more accustomed to defending the classic post position, not a guy who is running around more like Nik Stauskas than Mitch McGary. Murphy’s 12.6 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game don’t wow, but this is the type of matchup that he will be looking to exploit. If Michigan is able to limit Murphy like they did with Jeff Withey in the second half, they should feel very confident about their chances.

2. Defend the perimeter: Michigan needs to primarily be concerned with keeping Murphy in check, but he is far from the only Gator capable of filling it up from deep. As a team, Florida takes about 40 percent of their shots from distance and makes them at a very good 38.1 percent clip. The Gators three starting guards, Kenny Boynton, Scottie Wilbekin, and Mike Rosario, all love the long ball, and all three can get hot at any particular time. Boynton’s shooting numbers are down from the past two seasons, and while he takes more than six threes a game, accounting for 60.6 percent of his shots, he has made just 32 percent of them on the year.

Wilbekin and Rosario, on the other hand, are a little more capable of penetrating and take just under half their attempts from downtown, but make 37 percent of their three-point looks. Michael Frazier, a talented 6’4″ freshman, will come off the bench primarily looking to snipe as well, and he has hit a team-high 46.8% of his threes, which account for a whopping 80.4 percent of his shots.

Kenny Boynton will be tasked with stopping Trey Burke today

Michigan needs to know the scouting report front and back and close out hard on all these shooters that Billy Donovan will throw out on the court. Going over screens will probably be a good idea when the pick involves one of the five Gators that has attempted more than 100 threes this season. Michigan’s help defense has been pretty shoddy all year long, but they cannot afford to go under screens like they were against Kansas. Do that against Murphy, Rosario, and Frazier, and chances are the Wolverines would get torched. What makes knowing the number on the front of the jersey from the scouting report even more important is the fact that the three remaining Florida players that will see on-court action rarely look to shoot from deep. Casey Prather, a one-time Michigan recruit, Patric Young, and Will Yeguete have combined to attempt only 11 threes all year long, and they’ve made only three of them. Michigan must be able to differentiate between the five guys that will shoot when open and the three that wouldn’t throw a bomb if they were fighting in a war.

3. Keep it Close: Florida was the king of the weak SEC this season, and their efficiency numbers are off the charts due in large part to a lack of strong competition throughout the year. Looking through their statistical profile and game log, one thing will jump out  – if the Gators are not winning big, they are not winning at all. All 29 of Florida’s wins, including their three tournament victories, have come by double digits. Their seven losses, however, were by an average of 5.7 points. Certainly this is more likely to be more coincidental than anything else, and I’m not trying to say that Florida is simply not able to win games that come down to the wire, but there is something to be said when not one win has come by single digits and all but one loss has been by six or fewer points.

It’s pretty clear that teams that give themselves a chance and stick in it until the end have fared well against Florida so far. That’s good news for Michigan, a team that has found itself trailing by double digits on multiple occasions before coming back and at least making a game out of it. Perhaps the Gators will collapse under pressure if Michigan controls the game throughout, but at the very least, the Maize and Blue will look to keep the Gators within striking distance. In the end, the chance will be there.

Prediction: I have a confession to make. In my master bracket this year, I correctly picked Michigan and Florida to both make it to this point (which isn’t to say that the rest of my bracket is still intact…anything but), but when it came time to pick the best of the best, the elite of the Elite, I went with the computers and my head and picked the Gators to advance out of the South. Opinions change over the course of the Tournament, however, and the grit, toughness, heart, and team play of Michigan have won me over. Trey Burke simply does not want his career to end before reaching Atlanta, and Mitch McGary looks like he had a switch turned on in his closet that turns him into an animal starting with the first game of the Big Dance. Throw in a little Stauskas, a lot of Tim Hardaway, Jr., and a defensive effort from Glenn Robinson III and I think Michigan will find itself headed to Atlanta later this week after beating Florida, 67-63.

Redemption (Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)

It was over. The phenomenal but brief career of Trey Burke was winding down its final minutes in unspectacular fashion. Just 3:47 remained in the magical season that saw Michigan climb to No. 1 in the nation and the Wolverines trailed by 11. Kansas was hitting everything, winning all the loose balls, and holding Burke in check. But Burke and Co. drew on the experience it got throughout the rough-and-tumble Big Ten season and gave it one last shot.

Tim Hardaway Jr. hit one of two free throws and Michigan got a stop. Mitch McGary hit a jumper and Michigan looked like it had some life. But Kansas center Jeff Withey flushed down a dunk to seemingly stop the run. However, Michigan wasn’t done. Glenn Robinson III stole a pass and slammed one of his own, followed by a McGary layup to cut the deficit to six. After a pair of Kansas free throws, Burke hit a three. Robinson scored again to cut the KU lead to three with 29 seconds remaining. Michigan fouled Elijah Johnson and he made both, but a Burke layup cut it to three again. Once again, Johnson was sent to the line and this time he missed the front end of the one-and-one. And then it became Burke time.

Trey Burke was clutch when it counted (David J. Phillip, AP)

The sophomore guard who will likely be named national player of the year showed just why he has been so valuable this season. He stared down the final seconds of his Michigan career and said ‘I’m not done with this yet.’ With the clock ticking down, Burke rose up and fired from well beyond the three-point arc, one final heave. In Columbus, it was halfway down, but halfway down wasn’t good enough. In Madison, it rattled out once again. Against Indiana at season’s end, Jordan Morgan’s put-back of Burke’s miss hung on the edge of the rim for a few agonizing seconds before rolling off. But on this night, with a hand in his face, there was no doubt. He could have made it from half court and made it look easy. It was Michigan’s first time not trailing since the 15:34 mark of the first half and it send the game into overtime.

In the extra period, Burke continued his hot spell with another three and a long step-back jumper to keep Michigan ahead. McGary hit two jumpers and Robinson sealed the win with a piar of free throws.

In all reality, Michigan didn’t deserve to win this game. Kansas outplayed the Wolverines for about 39 minutes and certainly looked like the better team. But as we well know, the better team doesn’t always win and Michigan proved that tonight. Burke solidified his status as one of the all-time greats ever to wear the maize and blue. He will remain a Wolverine for at least one more game and will try to keep the hot streak long enough to send Michigan back to the Final Four.

Burke finished the game with 23 points and 10 assists, the first player to do so in a Sweet 16 game since Providence’s Billy Donovan did it in 1987. McGary recorded his second straight double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds, while Robinson finished with 13 points and eight rebounds. Hardaway added 10 points and Nik Stauskas 11.

As a team, Michigan shot 49.3 percent overall and hit just 8-of-23 three-point attempts and 9-of-17 free throws. Kansas shot 54.5 percent, but the Wolverines won the rebound battle 38-35 and dominated the offensive glass, 14 to seven.

Michigan will remain in Arlington to play of three-seed Florida on Sunday afternoon with a trip to Atlanta on the line.

#10 Michigan (4) vs #3 Kansas (1)
Friday, Mar. 29 | 7:37pm ET | TBS
28-7 (12-6)	Record	31-5 (14-4)
Slippery Rock 100-62 IUPUI 91-54 Cleveland State 77-47 Pittsburgh 67-62 Kansas State 71-57 NC State 79-72 Bradley 74-66 W. Michigan 73-41 Arkansas 80-67 Binghamton 67-39 West Virginia 81-66 E. Michigan 93-54 C. Michigan 88-73 Northwestern 94-66 Iowa 95-67 Nebraska 62-47 #9 Minnesota 83-75 Purdue 68-53 Illinois 74-60 Northwestern 68-46 #10 Ohio St. 76-74 OT Penn State 79-71 Illinois 71-58 #9 Michigan St. 58-57 Purdue 80-75 Penn State 83-66 S. Dakota State 71-56 VCU 78-53	Wins	SE Missouri St. 74-55 Chattanooga 69-55 Washington State 78-41 Saint Louis 73-59 San Jose State 70-57 Oregon State 84-78 Colorado 90-54 Belmont 89-60 Richmond 87-59 #7 Ohio State 74-66 American 89-57 Temple 69-62 Iowa State 97-89 OT Texas Tech 60-46 Baylor 61-44 Texas 64-59 #11 Kansas St. 59-55 Oklahoma 67-54 West Virginia 61-56 #10 Kansas St. 83-62 Texas 73-47 #14 Okla. St. 68-67 2OT TCU 74-48 Iowa State 108-96 OT West Virginia 91-65 Texas Tech 79-42 Texas Tech 91-63 Iowa State 88-73 #11 Kansas St. 70-54 W. Kentucky 64-57 North Carolina 70-58
#15 Ohio State 56-53 #3 Indiana 73-81 Wisconsin 62-65 OT #8 Michigan St. 52-75 Penn State 78-84 #2 Indiana 71-72 #22 Wisconsin 59-68	Losses	#21 Mich. St. 64-67 Oklahoma State 80-85 TCU 55-62 Oklahoma 66-72 Baylor 58-81
75.1	Points Per Game	75.1
62.4	Scoring Defense	61.3
982-for-2,023 (48.5%)	Field Goal %	925-for-1,928 (48.0%)
831-for-1,983 (41.9%)	Def. Field Goal %	731-for-2,039 (35.9%)
262-for-685 (38.2%)	3-point %	205-for-564 (36.3%)
223-for-689 (32.4%)	Def. 3-point %	222-for-734 (30.2%)
403-for-567 (71.1%)	Free Throw %	572-for-778 (73.5%)
11.5	FT Made/Game	16.3
35.1	Rebounds Per Game	39.0
31.9	Opp. Reb. Per Game	32.7
14.3	Assists Per Game	15.5
9.3	Turnovers Per Game	13.8
6.0	Steals Per Game	7.1
2.8	Blocks Per Game	6.7
G – Trey Burke (18.8) G – Tim Hardaway Jr. (14.9)	Leading Scorer	G – Ben McLemore (16.2) C – Jeff Withey (13.7)
F – Mitch McGary (5.9) F – Glenn Robinson III (5.5)	Leading Rebounder	C – Jeff Withey (8.3) F – Kevin Young (6.7)

Two weeks ago, the Michigan Wolverines were coming off a disappointing second round exit from the Big Ten Tournament at the hands of Wisconsin and given a four-seed in the Big Dance after closing out the season on a mediocre 6-6 run. Matched up against an upstart and trendy mid-major South Dakota State team led by the-best-player-you’ve-never-seen-play, Nate Wolters, Michigan suddenly found itself back in the news, but for all the wrong reasons. National experts proclaimed that the Wolverines’ early season success and brief rise to number one in the country was a thing of the past, and novices around the country drooled at the possibility of another 13 vs. 4 upset pick – only this time, it didn’t seem like “upset” would be the right word.

Finally freed from the shackles of the Big Ten, however, Michigan stunned those same experts and turned the heads of the entire college basketball fan base after handling the Jackrabbits with ease and then pounding Shaka Smart’s Virginia Commonwealth Rams to make it to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 18 years.

With seemingly every former naysayers now on the Michigan bandwagon, the Wolverines look to continue their master run tonight (7:37pm on TBS) in Arlington against the Jayhawks of Kansas. As usual, here are three keys for the Maize and Blue to execute if they hope to be called Elite:

1. Push the Pace: There is more than one reason Kansas is a number one seed again in this year’s tournament – among them their experience, balance, and talent. But the one thing that really makes this Jayhawk team great is its defense. Kansas’s opponents all season long have struggled to score inside the arc, notably because of 7’0″ senior Jeff Withey’s shot-blocking prowess, shooting just 39 percent from two-point range, which leads the country. Overall, Kansas boasts the fifth-best scoring efficiency defense in the land, allowing only .854 points per possession against. In the half-court set, the Jayhawks are even more deadly because Withey can set up camp in the middle of the paint while his athletic and long perimeter defensive mates filter the ball toward him, helping him reach his nearly 4 block per game average.

Michigan is no slouch on the offensive end, scoring the second most points per possession in Division 1, but Kansas’s interior defense is unlike anything the Wolverines have seen all year. The good news for Michigan, however, is that Kansas is not a slow-down, grind-it-out type team. They are more than happy to run up and down the court, averaging almost 68 possessions per game, which would be tops in the Big Ten, even if it doesn’t appear to be in their best interests. In their win over North Carolina to advance into the Sweet Sixteen, Kansas took quick and questionable shots repeatedly in the first half and turned the ball over a whopping 22 times total. For every bad shot, long rebound, and turnover the Jayhawks commit tonight, Michigan should look to run.

The Wolverines have what I dub the triple threat breakaway with their ability to either take it to the rack, pass out for the open three, or dish it to a teammate streaking toward the basket. Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway, Jr. are lightning in a bottle in the open court and are two of the best finishers off the break in the country. If a defense is smart and stops the ball on them, though, either is still able to dish to an open Nik Stauskas or find Glenn Robinson III for a thunderous alley oop. Unless Kansas can get back and hold onto the ball, Michigan is going to score a lot of easy points running. Mitch McGary has also shown a great propensity for smart outlet passes when he is able to corral a rebound, which should benefit Michigan further, and the Wolverines rarely give up transition points themselves. Look for the Maize and Blue to hold a double-digit edge in fast-break points tonight.

Jeff Withey will be the best big man Michigan has faced this season

2. Attack the Basket: As laid out by the previous point, there is no doubt in my mind that Michigan needs to push the pace in this game to have a chance. With that being said, however, more than three-quarters of the Wolverines’ possessions will likely come in the half-court set, where Kansas is dangerous on D. It might seem ludicrous to try to attack the basket against a team with as great a shot-blocker as Withey, and at the very least it is risky. Michigan could always try to out-gun their opponent and take half their shots from downtown, where they are capable shooters, but if Stauskas remains cold or Hardaway starts missing his shots, the Wolverines will be toast by halftime.

Trey Burke is one of the best drivers around, and when he gets past his defender, he needs to be confident in his abilities and take it right at Withey, where one of a number of possibilities are apparent. Sure, his shot could get blocked a couple times, and will certainly be altered on occasion, but Burke is too good to have that happen too often. If he goes to the basket looking to score, chances are he will either make his lay-up or floater or get fouled.

In Kansas’s five losses this season, their opponents have averaged 24 free throws to the Jayhawks’ 21, and Withey has racked up three or four fouls in four of those games. Three points could be the difference tonight, and even if Withey blocks eight shots and alters a few more, Michigan has other players to go get the ball and get an even easier basket because Withey is out of the play. A drive to the basket also usually means a slight collapse of the defense, which will lead to more open looks for Hardaway, Stauskas, and company. When Michigan is hesitant going toward the promised land, like they were against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament when Bo Ryan had Jared Berggren parked in the paint all night, they are simply not as effective.

3. Neutralize Withey: Ben McLemore might be Kansas’s best individual talent, and he is a consensus top-three pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, but his production has dropped off in the post-season tournaments and he posted a dreadful 0-for-9 (0-for-6 3-pt.) shooting night against North Carolina the last time out. I think he will pick it up a little bit tonight, but Withey is still by far the most important Jayhawk player for my money. Not only is the big man a terror on opposing offenses, he also has a pretty solid low-post game himself, averaging 13.8 points per game on 58.3 percent shooting from the field and a very solid 71.4 percent mark from the charity stripe. Withey is also a monster on the glass, where he grabs 8.5 total rebounds a game, including 2.1 offensive boards per outing. Mitch McGary will be Michigan’s counterpoint to Bill Self’s experienced post stalwart, which Wolverine fans must feel good about after the freshman’s phenomenal opening round play. There is plenty of reason to be concerned for me, however.

For starters, McGary is a freshman and Withey is a senior. Yes, McGary has almost reached legal drinking age, but he’s been in the college game for just one season. My grandpa is four times Withey’s age, but that doesn’t mean he’s had enough experience to capably handle Withey in the post. And yes, McGary’s conditioning has improved to the point at which he could play a career-high 34 minutes against VCU, but his defense has been the knock on him all year, and I have yet to see that aspect of his game tested in the tournament. A couple early fouls for McGary and he will be watching from the bench for a long time. Withey is probably also the tallest, longest, and most put-together big man McGary will challenge all season, meaning potential trouble on the boards. If Michigan’s energy ball can rebound with authority and keep Withey out of the lane by constantly setting screens on offense, he has done his job. McGary doesn’t need to score 21 more points for Michigan to win – he just needs to be solid and not let Withey be the best player on the court.

Prediction: In my opinion, the most underrated aspect of John Beilein’s coaching is his teams’ ability to run the floor and score easy buckets on the break while still controlling the pace and limiting fast break points and turnovers the other way. I think tonight’s game will come down to those two stats – transition points and turnovers, which both should favor Michigan. Stauskas’s outside shooting could also be key early on, but Trey Burke will cement his stake for Player of the Year tonight as Michigan advances to the Elite Eight with a 78-71 win.

#10 Michigan (4) vs Virginia Commonwealth (5)
Saturday, Mar. 23 | 12:15pm ET | CBS
27-7 (12-6)	Record	27-8 (12-4)
Slippery Rock 100-62 IUPUI 91-54 Cleveland State 77-47 Pittsburgh 67-62 Kansas State 71-57 NC State 79-72 Bradley 74-66 W. Michigan 73-41 Arkansas 80-67 Binghamton 67-39 West Virginia 81-66 E. Michigan 93-54 C. Michigan 88-73 Northwestern 94-66 Iowa 95-67 Nebraska 62-47 #9 Minnesota 83-75 Purdue 68-53 Illinois 74-60 Northwestern 68-46 #10 Ohio State 76-74 OT Penn State 79-71 Illinois 71-58 #9 Michigan State 58-57 Purdue 80-75 Penn State 83-66 S. Dakota State 71-56	Wins	FL Gulf Coast 80-57 Winthrop 90-54 #19 Memphis 78-65 Stetson 92-56 Belmont 75-65 Old Dominion 83-70 Alabama 73-54 W. Kentucky 76-44 Longwood 93-56 FDU 96-67 E. Tennessee St. 109-58 Lehigh 59-55 Dayton 74-62 St. Bonaventure 72-65 Saint Joseph’s 92-86 OT Duquesne 90-63 Rhode Island 70-64 Fordham 81-65 Charlotte 68-61 UMass 86-68 George Wash. 84-57 Xavier 75-71 #20 Butler 84-52 Richmond 93-82 St. Joseph’s 82-79 UMass 71-62 Akron 88-42
#15 Ohio State 56-53 #3 Indiana 73-81 Wisconsin 62-65 OT #8 Michigan State 52-75 Penn State 78-84 #2 Indiana 71-72 #22 Wisconsin 59-68	Losses	Wichita State 51-53 #5 Duke  58-67 #13 Missouri 65-68 Richmond 74-86 OT LaSalle 61-69 St. Louis 62-76 Temple 76-84 #16 St. Louis 56-62
75.0	Points Per Game	77.6
62.7	Scoring Defense	64.1
951-for-1,963 (48.4%)	Field Goal %	987-for-2,185 (45.2%)
808-for-1,925 (42.0%)	Def. Field Goal %	780-for-1,765 (44.2%)
256-for-665 (38.5%)	3-point %	278-for-784 (35.5%)
220-for-673 (32.7%)	Def. 3-point %	192-for-581 (33.0%)
393-for-556 (70.7%)	Free Throw %	465-for-663 (70.1%)
11.6	FT Made/Game	13.3
34.9	Rebounds Per Game	34.9
32.1	Opp. Reb. Per Game	34.6
14.2	Assists Per Game	14.7
9.2	Turnovers Per Game	11.7
6.0	Steals Per Game	11.8
2.9	Blocks Per Game	3.1
G – Trey Burke (18.8) G – Tim Hardaway Jr. (15.0)	Leading Scorer	G – Treveon Graham (15.2) F – Juvonte Reddic (14.6)
F – Glenn Robinson III (5.4) F – Mitch McGary (5.6)	Leading Rebounder	F – Juvante Reddic (8.3) G – Treveon Graham (6.0)

On Thursday night, Michigan opened up their tournament with a slow-paced, controlling win over South Dakota State in a game that saw the Wolverines cough the ball up only nine times. Today (12:15 on CBS), Michigan opens up Round Three with a matchup that should be about as polar opposite from the SDSU victory as possible when they welcome Virginia Commonwealth to The Palace of Auburn Hills.

VCU coach Shaka Smart’s rise to prominence despite only four years of head coaching experience has been well-documented after bringing his 11th-seeded Rams to the Final Four two years ago with a high-pressure style of basketball that has come to be known as The Havoc. This has all the makings of a March Madness classic, and only one team can advance. Here are three quick keys to the game if Michigan is to dance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in nearly 20 years:

Minimize The Havoc: There is not much secret to Virginia Commonwealth’s success – the Rams employ a variety of full-court press looks after every made basket in an attempt to turn their opponent over and get an easy look at scoring again. In all 27 of their wins, the Rams’ enemy turned the ball over 15 or more times. In seven of their eight losses, they forced fewer than 15 cough-ups. When VCU is able to effectively press and cause chaos in the backcourt, thus generating easy buckets and only speeding the game up more, they are at their best. Smart unleashes three “wild dogs” in the form of Briante Weber, Darius Theus, and Rob Brandenburg to do the vast majority of his hounding; they are all 6’3″ or less, but their headiness and athleticism make up for it as they average 2.7, 2.5, and 1.3 steals per game, respectively. Lone big man Juvonte Reddic, listed at 6’9″ and 235 pounds, is also one to keep an eye on, as he swipes the ball 1.4 times per outing.

What this all adds up to is a team that is far and away the best at forcing turnovers in the country. The good news for Michigan is that the Wolverines turn the ball over on fewer possessions than any other team in Division 1. If Michigan can simply play calm basketball in the backcourt and get the ball over the timeline, they should have no problems exploiting a defense that struggles away from their bread and butter of the press. The troubles will arise when the Wolverines fear a 10-second violation or start throwing wild passes across half court. Play smart and the better team will advance.

Exploit the Matchups: As already noted, the Rams are not a team that will wow anyone with their size, and Michigan should be able to use a little bit of an advantage in that department themselves. VCU will start a lineup that goes 6’2″, 6’3″, 6’3″, 6’5″, 6’9″ across the board. Trey Burke is one of the best in the country at getting around and by his defender, so a slight disadvantage on his man shouldn’t hurt, while Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Nik Stauskas need to look to shoot over the top of their smaller defenders or drive on them to get them into foul trouble, which they struggle mightily with. Glenn Robinson III would also be wise to launch the same inside-out game he played in the opening round, as he will again be the best athlete on the court and enjoy a slight size advantage himself.

As one might imagine, the Rams’ defensive style makes them highly susceptible to putting their opponents on the free throw line, and they do so at a 41 percent FTA/FGA clip, meaning the game plan might be as simple as taking care of the ball and making free throws for Michigan.

How Michigan handles VCU's havoc will determine whether the Wolverines win

On the defensive end, Michigan does need to be careful about letting VCU’s quick, attacking guards into the lane too often, where they will finish or dish off to Troy Daniels, a 41 percent sniper from deep who takes nearly 87 percent of his shots from behind the arc. Interestingly enough, Brandenburg is the only pick-pocketer who puts in more than 10 points a game, as Theus and Weber combine for just over 12 a game and shoot a meager 44.4 percent from the floor; neither are major threats from downtown but Brandenburg takes nearly half his shots from there. The major scoring threats are inside, where Reddic and Treveon Graham total nearly 30 points per game together.

Smart Subs: In a frenetically-paced game like today’s is certain to become at times, both teams will get tired and have to sub. For Michigan, that means liberally bringing in more ball-handlers and better big-man defenders. Spike Albrecht should see a good uptick in minutes today while Caris LeVert also needs to be prepared to handle the ball from off the bench. Burke should still see 35-plus minutes and will be the key in breaking the press, but he’s going to need help when the Rams attempt to trap him. Hardaway, Stauskas, LeVert, and Albrecht need to be prepared to bring that help, take the ball up the court quickly and under control, and get the ball back to Burke to facilitate in the halfcourt.

It is always a concern when freshmen face defenders that are going to hound them for the ball, and especially so when the game is played on such a big stage as the Big Dance, but they are a crucial part of Michigan’s success and need to play smart basketball. Hardaway has also experienced some ball control issues in the past and needs to make sure he doesn’t let the ball get stripped time and again.

On defense, Jordan Morgan could be huge. Mitch McGary is likely to get the start again after an outstanding performance Thursday night, but Morgan, the redshirt junior, needs to shake off any negative thoughts he may have after some disastrous performances late in the season and a one minute outing in the SDSU victory to be ready when called upon today. McGary is still not in tip-top shape and will not see more than 20 minutes. Morgan needs to be able to come in and provide great defense down low on VCU’s bigs while also finishing easy looks that Michigan should expect to get when breaking the press.

Prediction: Today’s turnover game should be a classic case of the unstoppable force against the immovable object as the number one team in forcing turnovers challenges the number one team in holding onto the ball. Whoever wins that matchup will likely have the upper hand overall. For me, Trey Burke is again the difference in today’s game. Burke’s point guard skills are incredibly advanced for this level, and his smooth play overall should be huge in a bounce-back effort for him. VCU will snatch a couple passes here and there and may even pick a few pockets, but Michigan should be able to bring the ball over halfcourt and score some easy points led by their tested and true floor general. Stauskas and Hardaway combine for six threes while Burke pours in 23 in a 73-68 Michigan win.

Mitch McGary's energy in the starting lineup helped Michigan beat SDSU (Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)

With a 6-6 finish to the season, Michigan seemed to many to be ripe for the picking in its opening round matchup with South Dakota State. But despite a season-worst performance by superstar Trey Burke, Michigan won going away thanks to outstanding performances by Tim Hardaway Jr. and a pair of freshmen.

The Wolverines jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead, the first five points coming from Mitch McGary, who got the start over Jordan Morgan. It looked as if Michigan was going to dominate from the start, but SDSU scored the next 11, holding Michigan scoreless for over six minutes before Hardaway hit a three. The Jackrabbits responded with a three of their own, but Hardaway answered with another one to give Michigan some life.

After a couple of scoreless minutes for both teams, Nik Stauskas tied the game with a three of his own and Hardaway nailed another one to put Michigan ahead 21-16. The rest of the half was played pretty evenly and the Wolverines took a 30-26 lead into the locker room.

At the beginning of the second, it was the GR3 show as Glenn Robinson III scored the first 11 points for Michigan, including a trio of three-pointers, and Michigan led 41-30. South Dakota State was able to pull within six, but that was as close as they could get. Michigan built a 17-point lead and finished with a 71-56 victory.

Burke struggled to find his shot all night and finished with a season-low six points on 2-of-12 shooting, but dished out seven assists to help set up other scorers. He also was the subject of a scary moment when he landed on his back after grabbing a second half rebound. He was taken to the locker room, but returned minutes later and said after the game that he just has a sore tailbone and should be fine on Saturday.

Hardaway and Robinson each led all scorers with 21 points. Robinson grabbed six rebounds and Hardaway four. McGary nearly had another double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down nine rebounds. Stauskas added eight points.

While Burke struggled offensively, he also played solid defense on SDSU’s star point guard, Nate Wolters, holding him to just 10 points, 12.7 below his season average.

As a team, Michigan shot 50.9 percent and 45 percent from three-point range. Perhaps most encouraging going forward was Robinson and McGary’s performances. The former hit 8-of-9 shots overall and all three from downtown. McGary was a force down low on the pick and roll, as well as on the fast break. If both of them can continue to perform at that level, Michigan has a chance to go deep in the tournament because Burke’s bad games are few and far between.

The Wolverines await the winner of the Akron-VCU game, which is in progress as of this writing. The game will be played on Saturday, but time and TV have yet to be announced.

#10 Michigan (4) vs South Dakota State (13)
Thursday, Mar. 21 | 7:15pm ET | CBS
26-7 (12-6)	Record	25-9 (13-3)
Slippery Rock 100-62 IUPUI 91-54 Cleveland State 77-47 Pittsburgh 67-62 Kansas State 71-57 NC State 79-72 Bradley 74-66 W. Michigan 73-41 Arkansas 80-67 Binghamton 67-39 West Virginia 81-66 E. Michigan 93-54 C. Michigan 88-73 Northwestern 94-66 Iowa 95-67 Nebraska 62-47 #9 Minnesota 83-75 Purdue 68-53 Illinois 74-60 Northwestern 68-46 #10 Ohio State 76-74 OT Penn State 79-71 Illinois 71-58 #9 Michigan State 58-57 Purdue 80-75 Penn State 83-66	Wins	Tennessee State 78-71 Marshall 78-77 Univ. of D.C. 96-48 SW Minnesota St. 81-72 North Dakota 71-70 Nebraska-Omaha 78-63 Dakota State 83-52 Cal-St. Bakersfield 69-63 Montana 687-67 2OT #16 New Mexico 70-65 Kansas City 77-61 Oakland 81-74 IPFW 83-57 W. Illinois 59-53 IUPUI 80-65 N. Dakota State 69-53 South Dakota 67-54 Kansas City 88-57 IPFW 80-74 IUPUI 82-45 W. Illinois 64-55 Nebraska-Omaha 100-82 IUPUI 66-49 IPFW 72-56 N. Dakota State 73-67
#15 Ohio State 56-53 #3 Indiana 73-81 Wisconsin 62-65 OT #8 Michigan State 52-75 Penn State 78-84 #2 Indiana 71-72 #22 Wisconsin 59-68	Losses	Alabama 67-70 Hofstra 63-66 #14 Minnesota 64-88 Belmont 49-76 N. Dakota State 62-65 South Dakota 71-74 Oakland 83-88 Cal-St. Bake. 78-79 2OT Murray State 62-73
75.2	Points Per Game	73.9
62.9	Scoring Defense	65.6
923-for-1,908 (48.4%)	Field Goal %	887-for-1,887 (47.0%)
785-for-1,783 (41.9%)	Def. Field Goal %	839-for-1,897 (44.2%)
247-for-645 (38.3%)	3-point %	266-for-675 (39.4%)
216-for-654 (33.0%)	Def. 3-point %	234-for-656 (35.7%)
387-for-547 (70.7%)	Free Throw %	472-for-619 (76.3%)
11.7	FT Made/Game	13.9
35.1	Rebounds Per Game	34.7
32.2	Opp. Reb. Per Game	30.6
14.3	Assists Per Game	14.5
9.2	Turnovers Per Game	10.4
6.0	Steals Per Game	5.1
2.8	Blocks Per Game	2.3
G – Trey Burke (19.2) G – Tim Hardaway Jr. (14.8)	Leading Scorer	G – Nate Wolters (22.7) F – Jordan Dykstra (12.5)
F – Glenn Robinson III (5.4) F – Mitch McGary (5.5)	Leading Rebounder	F – Jordan Dykstra (7.9) G – Nate Wolters (5.6)

With the regular season and conference tournaments now in the rearview mirror, the focus is clear for 64 remaining teams playing for all the marbles. Win and advance, lose and go home – it really is as simple as that. Such a vicious format lends itself the “March Madness” moniker, but others like to think of it more as one last chance to dance, in a Big way.

For Michigan, the regular season started off promising, with a number one overall ranking achieved and a top-five spot maintained throughout the majority of the year, but the Wolverines were only able to win half of their last 12 games, eventually claiming a five seed in the Big Ten Tournament and a four seed in this one. Tonight, the Maize and Blue will look to start their season anew just down the road in Auburn Hills (7:15 on CBS) against a South Dakota State team that boasts one superstar and a cast of shooters. Here are three keys for Michigan to keeping the season alive:

1. Limit Nate Wolters: If anyone has heard of one player on the Jackrabbit squad, it’s 6’4″ senior point guard Nate Wolters. The lone NBA prospect on coach Scott Nagy’s roster is a hyper-efficient scorer that can keep his team in just about any game. Wolters uses a variety of moves to score 22.7 points per game and makes an incredible 49.3 percent of his shots, including a solid 39 percent from downtown. His deep stroke is pure and he will attack any opening in the half-court set to traverse into the lane, where his full arsenal is on display. The shaggy-haired floor general is not very fast or athletic, but he has a great knack for putting the ball in the hoop that few possess. Wolters recorded 30-plus points in four games this season (including a 53-point outburst against IPFW), 20-plus in 19 of the 32 Jackrabbits games he played in, and never failed to put up double digits.

Overall, he is in the top five in the country in efficiency margin for guys that use more than 25 percent of their team’s possessions; Trey Burke is in the same category for Michigan.

The problem with defending Wolters is his and his teammates’ size, as no Jackrabbit starter is shorter than 6’4″. Burke, listed generously at 6’0″, will have to cover someone, and while he has been a solid defender at times, his counterpart tonight could shoot over the top of him. Guarding Wolters will be a team effort. If Michigan lets him score 30 and allows his teammates to get involved as well with Wolters’s 5.8 assists a night, they could be sent home packing after their first game for the second time in as many years as a four seed. If the Wolverines can limit Wolters and cut off his driving lanes while keeping a hand in his face from the outside, they shouldn’t have too much trouble prevailing.

Nate Wolters is the nation's fourth-leading scorer

2. Close Out Hard: While Wolters is a prolific scorer in his own right and the engine that keeps the team running, he is not alone in being able to fill it up from deep. The three players besides Wolters that have attempted more than 125 three-pointers all make more than 35 percent of their attempts, and two of them, Jordan Dykstra and Chad White, make a terrific 43 percent from deep. Michigan has had troubles throughout the season with collapses on defense and lackadaisical closeouts, leaving shooters to knock down open threes. A shooting barrage from the Jackrabbits will at the very least keep them in the game until the bitter end, but if Michigan is able stick with the shooters on the outside, they will keep South Dakota State out of their element. The more you look at this team’s offensive profile, the more they mirror Michigan’s, but the Wolverines should be able to use their superior size and athleticism to dominate on the glass and to play better defense, which both teams struggle with.

3. Run the Sets: South Dakota State can certainly put points on the board, but their Achilles’ heel is on the other end of the court, which also happens to be the exact place Michigan thrives. The Jackrabbits’ lack of length, athleticism, and size make it difficult to guard teams, and they have given up more than 80 points three times this year. In an early season 88-64 loss at Minnesota, SDSU allowed the Gophers to shoot nearly 57 percent from the floor and grab almost half their misses.

Michigan has by far the best offense that the Summit League champions will see all year, and if they are calm on offense and run their sets while also taking advantage of the fast break, they should be able to put up points in bunches tonight. Don’t be surprised to see Michigan eclipse 1.25 points per possession if they are able to do this effectively. If Trey Burke looks to play hero ball early on and his teammates are not getting involved, however, it could be the last time he suits up for Michigan.

Prediction: After a rough and tumble Big Ten season, Michigan should be prepared for just about any team they will face in the Big Dance, starting tonight with South Dakota State. The next loss for the Wolverines will be the last of a season that seemed to pass so quickly, and will also likely mean the loss of sophomore superstar Trey Burke to the NBA, perhaps along with Glenn Robinson III and Tim Hardaway, Jr. Last year’s early exit at the hands of Ohio has certainly left a sour taste in the mouths of all the Wolverines who experienced it, and I expect the freshmen to step up in a big way to keep this team rolling. Wolters will get his points, but it will be Burke who shines in the spotlight in front of a crowd that should heavily favor Michigan. Hardaway, Jr. will also pick his game up now that it counts most and Michigan advances with a 78-62 win.

Selection Sunday produced little in the way of anxiety for Michigan, but it did show the path the Wolverines will have to travel to win the NCAA title. John Beilein’s squad was given a 4-seed, which is somewhat disappointing considering the Maize and Blue were once 16-0 and ranked No. 1 nationally. But a 6-6 finish to the season slid the team down in the seedings and into a matchup with Summit League champion South Dakota State.

Almost right away the chorus of “experts” – both national and armchair alike – declared it an upset special. ESPN’s Doug Gotlieb put Michigan on upset watch and virtually wrote off the Wolverines’ Sweet 16 hopes by saying the likely Round of 32 opponent, VCU, would be able to beat 1-seed Kansas. But before we look ahead, let’s take a look at who exactly South Dakota State is.

Nate Wolters will give Trey Burke a run for his money

The Jackrabbits of Brookings, S.D. wear yellow and blue and finished the season 25-9 overall and 13-3 in the Summit League. They’re currently ranked 102nd by KenPom and 62 in the RPI. They played just three top-50 RPI teams all season, No.2 New Mexico, No.20 Belmont, and No.34 Minnesota, and won just one of those, a 80-75 victory over New Mexico on Dec. 22.

Minnesota beat SDSU 88-64 and the only other common opponent between Michigan and SDSU was IUPUI, who the Jackrabbits played – and beat – three times. They average 73.9 points per game and give up 65.5. They shoot 47 percent overall and 39.5 percent from three-point range, which would rank third and second, respectively, in the Big Ten. They have a plus-four rebound margin and plus-four assist to turnover ratio.

The Jackrabbits’ leading scorer is senior guard Nate Wolters who averages 22.7 points per game, shoots 49.3 percent overall and 39 percent from downtown. He’s also an 81 percent free throw shooter, ranks second on the team with 5.6 rebounds per game, and leads the team with 5.8 assists per contest. In his conference tournament game, he scored 27 points and he had four 30-plus scoring games during the season, including a 53-point outburst against IPFW on Feb. 7. He’ll be a tough matchup for a Michigan squad that has had trouble guarding anyone lately.

Three others average in double figures – forward Jordan Dykstra (12.5), forward Tony Fiegen (10.1) and guard Chad White (10.0). Both Dykstra and White are dangerous three-point shooters, hitting at a clip of 43.0 and 43.4, respectively. Guard Brayden Carlson is the only other high-usage guy and averages 8.7 points. No one else on the team averages more than 14 minutes a game. The big five are all upperclassmen – three juniors and two seniors – so they’ll have the experience advantage over Michigan.

It’s not going to be an easy matchup for Michigan by any means, but it’s still a game the Wolverines will be expected to win. The line opened up with Michigan an 11-point favorite, but if the Wolverines don’t turn up the intensity on defense, SDSU can shoot them out of the building.

Tim Hardaway Jr scored 14 points and grabbed nine assists in the loss (Nam Y. Hugh, AP)

It was a classic tale of two halves for Michigan and Wisconsin on Friday afternoon as the first half saw brick after brick and the second became a shootout. Wisconsin scored a season low 17 points in the first half on 5-of-29 shooting, but Michigan didn’t fare much better, tallying just 20 points. Neither team could muster any offense in a first half that more resembled a women’s Big Ten Tournament game that a men’s.

But in the second half, Wisconsin performed almost flawlessly, racking up 51 points on 17-of-28 shooting (6-of-9 from three). To put that number in perspective, it’s more than the Badgers scored in six entire games this season.

Wisconsin broke out to a 56-45 lead with under six minutes to play before Michigan put together a nice scoring run of its own to claw back into the game. Nine straight points brought the Wolverines within two with 3:37 left, but with the shot clock running down on a Badger possession, Frank Kaminsky made a contested jumper to stop the momentum. Michigan wasn’t able to convert on its next possession and was forced to foul the rest of the way to try to catch up. But it wasn’t meant to be and the Wolverines fell 68-59.

For the game, Michigan shot just 40.4 percent from the field and made just 3-of-13 three-pointers. The free throw line was also a sore spot as Michigan hit just 10-of-17. The Wolverines also turned the ball over 11 times compared to just seven assists.

Trey Burke led the way with 19 points, but it took him 22 shots to get there. He got several open looks from around the free throw line, but was unable to find his stroke. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 points and nine rebounds, while no other Michigan player scored in double figures. The big men struggled particularly, netting a combined 14 points, nine of which came from Mitch McGary. Jordan Morgan was held scoreless in eight minutes and turned the ball over three times.

Michigan now has to wait and see where it will be placed in next week’s NCAA Tournament. With a 6-6 record over its past 12 games, a 2-seed might be out of the question, depending on how the rest of the conference tournaments finish up this weekend. Michigan is now just 9-13 all-time in Big Ten Tournament play.

#6 Michigan (5) vs #22 Wisconsin (4)
Friday, Mar. 15 | 2:30pm ET | ESPN
26-6 (12-6)	Record	21-10 (12-6)
Slippery Rock 100-62 IUPUI 91-54 Cleveland State 77-47 Pittsburgh 67-62 Kansas State 71-57 NC State 79-72 Bradley 74-66 W. Michigan 73-41 Arkansas 80-67 Binghamton 67-39 West Virginia 81-66 E. Michigan 93-54 C. Michigan 88-73 Northwestern 94-66 Iowa 95-67 Nebraska 62-47 #9 Minnesota 83-75 Purdue 68-53 Illinois 74-60 Northwestern 68-46 #10 Ohio State 76-74 OT Penn State 79-71 Illinois 71-58 #9 Michigan State 58-57 Purdue 80-75 Penn State 83-66	Wins	SE Louisiana 87-47 Cornell 73-40 Presbyterian 88-43 Arkansas 77-70 Cal 81-56 Nebraska-Omaha 86-40 Green Bay 65-54 Milwaukee 74-43 Samford 87-51 Penn State 60-51 Nebraska 47-41 #12 Illinois 74-51 #2 Indiana 64-59 #12 Minnesota 45-44 Illinois 74-68 Iowa 74-70 2OT #3 Michigan 65-62 OT #13 Ohio State 71-49 Northwestern 69-41 Nebraska 77-46 Penn State 63-60
#15 Ohio State 56-53 #3 Indiana 73-81 Wisconsin 62-65 OT #8 Michigan State 52-75 Penn State 78-84 #2 Indiana 71-72	Losses	#10 Florida 56-74 #14 Creighton 74-84 Virginia 54-60 Marquette 50-60 Iowa 66-70 #13 Michigan State 47-49 #11 Ohio State 49-58 Minnesota 53-58 OT Purdue 56-69 #10 Michigan State 43-58
75.7	Points Per Game	66.1
62.8	Scoring Defense	56.0
900-for-1,851 (48.6%)	Field Goal %	743-for-1,747 (42.5%)
763-for-1,816 (42.0%)	Def. Field Goal %	658-for-1,669 (39.4%)
244-for-632 (38.6%)	3-point %	234-for-696 (33.6%)
208-for-632 (32.9%)	Def. 3-point %	124-for-409 (30.3%)
377-for-530 (71.1%)	Free Throw %	329-for-522 (63.0%)
11.8	FT Made/Game	10.6
35.0	Rebounds Per Game	37.0
32.0	Opp. Reb. Per Game	32.7
14.5	Assists Per Game	13.4
9.2	Turnovers Per Game	9.6
6.0	Steals Per Game	5.5
2.8	Blocks Per Game	4.1
G – Trey Burke (19.2) G – Tim Hardaway Jr. (14.8)	Leading Scorer	F – Jared Berggren (11.5) G – Ben Brust (11.3)
F – Glenn Robinson III (5.5) F – Mitch McGary (5.5)	Leading Rebounder	F – Ryan Evans (7.5) F – Jared Berggren (7.1)

After a relatively easy dispatching of Penn State in the first round of this year’s Big Ten Tournament, Michigan moves on to face Wisconsin, who earned a bye to Day 2. The Wolverines only met the Badgers one time during the regular season, a 65-62 overtime heartbreaker of a loss for Michigan, and will continue to have revenge on their minds from here on out, as each likely future foe will have beaten the Maize and Blue at least once already. With less time to prepare for each matchup in a play-everyday-til-you-lose style format, today we will only focus on two keys to this matchup. Here they are:

1. Control the Pace: Wisconsin’s biggest strength is in its ability to seemingly control the speed at which every single one of their games is played – slow, methodical, and bruising. Bo Ryan thrives despite not always having superior talent by maximizing each possession and cutting down on the overall opportunities for opponents to make up points by limiting possessions overall, thus practically eliminating the possibility of a blowout loss in every game.

The Badgers in fact never gave up more than 70 points in a Big Ten game all year, and held opponents to 60 or fewer points in a remarkable 13 of 18 Big Ten games.

Michigan is the type of team that plays best when some free-roaming opportunities to run and showcase an attack that consists of speed, athleticism, and precision are available. Obviously that is very difficult to do against a Wisconsin outfit that rarely turns the ball over and gets back on defense with the best of them, but a few quick, early buckets for Trey Burke and company will do wonders to get Michigan going. When Burke can get the break started surrounded by shooters like Nik Stauskas and Tim Hardaway, Jr. and finishers like Glenn Robinson III, this Wolverine squad becomes nearly unbeatable. A couple easy buckets in the opening minutes should pave the way for a Michigan win.

2. It’s all about the Team: By this time of the year, we all know Trey Burke is, at the very least, one of the best players in America. The Big Ten Player of the Year can score with the best of them from anywhere on the floor and dishes out dimes like a police officer handing out parking tickets in Ann Arbor.

What can make Michigan special, however, is their ability to spread the floor and devastate the enemy with all five guys on the court at all times. In yesterday’s win over Penn State, Mitch McGary had a first half double-double, Stauskas and Hardaway filled up the scoring column, and Jon Horford provided a very nice production boost in the second half to help seal the rout. Yes, Burke got his 21 points on 15 shots, but the supporting cast provided a threat, thus opening up driving lanes for the ringleader. In March, one-name teams usually don’t go far, and if Michigan hopes to make a deep run in both tournaments, everyone needs to play a part.

This is especially the case against a lockdown defensive team like Wisconsin. If the Wolverines send a message to the Badgers early that every player on the court is worthy of attention, Wisconsin will not be able to key in on the All-American and Michigan will win. In the first game between these two teams, Hardaway and Burke combined for nearly 60 percent of the team’s scoring output, which is altogether too high. Another number like that could spell doom this afternoon, but a more reasonable 40-50 percent would be music to coach John Beilein’s ears and a strong indication that Michigan is playing as a team.

Prediction: One-day turnaround games are tough enough to begin with, but when having to face a solid team that did not have to play the day before, the task becomes nearly impossible. For the Wolverines, however, I truly think that anything is possible if all the pieces come together, and the sour taste left by the first matchup should give the Maize and Blue the extra fuel in the tank to pull off the victory. Four guys reach double figures, led by Trey Burke’s 18 points and 10 assists. Stauskas, Hardaway, and Morgan carry the rest of the load and help send Michigan to the semis with a 71-64 win.