For the second time in two games, Michigan shot fewer threes than their preseason tournament opponent, and for the second time is as many tries, Michigan beat an undefeated high-major opponent behind the scoring punch of Tim Hardaway, Jr.

It’s becoming more and more evident with every passing game that John Beilein is constantly adapting his system to match the strengths and weaknesses of his personnel on the court. In Michigan’s two games at Madison Square Garden, the Wolverines hoisted a combined 29 three-point attempts and only made seven of them. In years past, any Michigan fan could have easily predicted a pair of losses, seeing no way a Michigan team could out-muscle Pittsburgh and Kansas State, two historically big, bruising, rebounding-minded squads, inside the arc. But that is exactly what happened.

Eleven Wolverines saw the court in all, and nine of them grabbed two or more rebounds on the way to dominating Kansas State on the defensive glass by rebounding 74.4 percent of the Wildcats’ misses and grabbing a respectable 32 percent of their own misses.

Tim Hardaway Jr earned MVP honors (Bill Kostroun, AP)

And while Michigan has shot the ball well from deep early on this season, there was simply no need for it tonight. Hardaway, Jr. made a ridiculous nine of his 12 two-point attempts, including an array of smooth mid-range jumpers and strong, gliding drives to the basket on his way to recording 23 points and seven rebounds. Trey Burke chipped in with 10 points, all in the second half, on 5-of-8 shooting inside the arc.

Kansas State’s inside girth with 6’11″, 250-pound senior Jordan Henriquez and 6’7″, 270-pound behemoth sophomore Thomas Gipson posed some problems early on, especially in the rebounding department, but Michigan’s bigs did a good job of boxing out and leaving the boards for the wings to collect. Glenn Robinson III seemed to grab every loose rebound with his long arms and nose for the ball and missed a double-double by just one point, as he grabbed 11 rebounds. Burke added six more himself and Stauskas grabbed four to go along with his 10 points in addition to Hardaway’s high-leaping efforts from the wing.

After a fairly sloppy start to the game that didn’t see either team make a bucket for two and a half minutes, Michigan got on the board with a mid-range jumper courtesy of Hardaway, Jr. and never looked back, scoring the first six points and jumping out to a 29-24 halftime lead. The Wildcats’ closest sniff came with just under six minutes to go in the first half when they cut the deficit to two, but a 22-6 Michigan run over the first 9:19 of the second half put the game out of reach.

There was nothing that stood out as the difference in this game other than Michigan clearly being the superior team in just about every facet of the game. They seemed to play smarter, shoot better, and were all-around more athletic on the court.

Going into tonight’s game as a top-five team in the country, Michigan had a swagger about them that they wouldn’t be denied, and there was very little doubt from the start as to what the outcome would be. It’s getting harder and harder to make an argument against Michigan being so highly thought of, and while Pitt and Kansas State may not be the best barometers of success in the country, they are two solid teams from good conferences that should at least put up a good fight for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Next Tuesday’s match-up with preseason top-five ranked NC State should be the first big test in the young season. A passing grade there would seem to legitimize all the hype.

It’s a good sign after a game when the biggest worry for a fan base is not how well or poorly the team played and what needs to be fixed, but the health of the players. Hardaway, Jr. went down late when he was accidentally kneed in the side of the head by a Kansas State player and was slow to get up and noticeably woozy; a concussion would likely mean he would have to sit out of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge game in Ann Arbor against the Wolfpack. Obviously this is a terrible thought for Wolverines fans, but the injury didn’t appear extremely serious. If he is to sit out, Stauskas would play 30-plus minutes in the upcoming showdown, but the Wolverines would be in for a serious challenge.

At this point, however, maybe they need a serious challenge.

After a hard-fought, grind-it-out victory over Pittsburgh two nights ago, Michigan returns to Madison Square Garden to take on Bruce Weber’s Kansas State Wildcats in the championship game of the NIT Season Tip-off. The Wolverines got a taste of the big stage on Wednesday night against a formidable opponent that should find its way into the Big Dance come March while Kansas State barely clawed its way to a 66-63 semifinal win over the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens. Today’s final (4:30pm on ESPN) pits these two unbeaten teams against each other for all the marbles. The game may look one-sided on paper, but here are some things to pay attention to:

#4 Michigan v. Kansas State
	Friday, Nov. 23 4:30pm ET ESPN
4-0	Record	5-0
83.8	Points Per Game	78.2
56.2	Scoring Defense	50.2
124-for-230 (53.9%)	Field Goal %	142-for-330 (43.0%)
87-for-237 (36.7%)	Def. Field Goal %	93-for-274 (33.9%)
37-for-81 (45.7%)	3-point %	34-for-96 (35.4%)
28-for-88 (31.8%)	Def. 3-point %	20-for-95 (21.1%)
50-for-69 (72.5%)	Free Throw %	73-for-106 (68.9%)
12.5	FT Made/Game	14.6
41.5	Rebounds Per Game	47.2
27.0	Opp. Reb. Per Game	31.8
15.3	Assists Per Game	17.4
10.3	Turnovers Per Game	13.0
4.0	Steals Per Game	9.0
1.8	Blocks Per Game	3.8
G – Trey Burke (18.0) G – Tim Hardaway (17.0)	Leading Scorer	G – Angel Rodriguez (11.2) G – Rodney McGruder (10.0)
G – Tim Hardaway (6.8) F – Mitch McGary (6.5)	Leading Rebounder	F – D.J. Johnson (6.6) F – Thomas Gipson (6.4)

1. Preparation: There are a couple reasons for scheduling these so-called “preseason” tournaments at the beginning of the college basketball season. Obviously money, camaraderie, and national attention play a part in it, but teams are also looking for solid opponents early on to prepare for the conference season, fun match-ups on big-time stages, and, perhaps most importantly, preparation for what is to come in March. With less than two full days to prepare for the next game, a neutral floor, and an unfamiliar opponent, the NIT Season Tip-off really has the feel of the NCAA Tournament. For Michigan fans, this could come with a bit of angst, as coach John Beilein has never led his Wolverines to more than one victory in the Big Dance, but he is known as being one of the best Xs and Os coaches in the college game, which should give Michigan a slight advantage against Kansas State. Beilein’s unique offense is also often noted for being incredibly difficult to prepare for, especially with a short turn-around from a previous game, and if Beilein decides to try the 1-3-1 zone again today after using it effectively against Pitt, Bruce Weber is going to have fits. There is simply no way to prepare for both of these schemes in a 44-hour timeframe. One more preparation advantage that should go Michigan’s way: both coaches are familiar with each other after going head-to-head for five years in the Big Ten, but Weber is brand new at Kansas State, so his players are still adjusting to new sets and will have very little knowledge of Beilein’s offense or defense while Beilein has some veterans that have had time to grasp the system.

2. Balance: Kansas State’s star player is unanimous preseason All-Big 12 First Team selection Rodney McGruder, but he has struggled so far this season and is only averaging 10 points and four rebounds per game while shooting 2-of-15 (13.3%) from downtown. Weber’s approach thus far has seemed to stress a balanced attack that won’t rely on one or two dominant players but will ride the hot hand on any given night. So far, it has worked, as the Wildcats sit at 5-0 and have only had one close call. A whopping 11 Kansas State players average more than 10 minutes per game and nine of those 11 score more than five points per game. Obviously these numbers are a bit skewed due to the competition level so far (North Dakota, Lamar, Alabama-Huntsville, North Florida, and Delaware), but it is apparent that Michigan should see a variety of looks with a hectic substitution pace on the other bench. Knowing the scouting report and opposing player tendencies is always important when so many different players will be seeing the floor, so Michigan will have to pay special attention to Kansas State’s five shooters in Angel Rodriguez, McGruder, Will Spradling, Shane Southwell, and Martavious Irving while being aware of each players’ abilities. Michigan’s balanced attack has been solid so far as well, with four guys in double digits, but their scoring punch should be more predictable.

Angel Rodriguez will put pressure on Michigan's guards (Charlie Riedel, AP)

3. Possession: Every statistic in basketball ultimately filters down to one thing: possessions. No, the team with the most possessions isn’t necessarily the winning team every time, but the goal of just about every coach is to maximize the number and efficiency of possessions for their team and limit the number and efficiency of possessions for the opponent. Historically John Beilein has done this by cutting down on his own team’s turnovers and limiting fast-break opportunities for the opponent, thus maximizing his possessions and minimizing the effectiveness of the other teams’ possessions. This season, we have seen a slight philosophical change as Michigan continues to rebound well offensively while still limiting the opponents’ fast breaks and holding onto the ball. The Wolverines are able to do this because they have more size, speed, length, and athleticism than in past years. Kansas State’s biggest weakness so far has been on the offensive end, where they have struggled shooting the ball (43% from the field) and have coughed up the ball at an unacceptable rate (13 turnovers per game). If the Wildcats continue to shoot poorly and turn the ball over to Michigan tonight, it will not be a pretty sight for Weber. On the other hand, if Kansas State starts playing well early on, look for Beilein to give the 1-3-1 a shot to switch up the tempo and force some turnovers.

Prediction: On paper this game looks like it will be all Michigan, and even though paper and stats aren’t always right, I have a hard time seeing how Kansas State will keep up throughout. Michigan will get back on track from long range and dominate the turnover game on its way to a 71-58 championship victory.