What does one gift the team that needs as little in its stocking as No. 2 Michigan appears to have just before Christmas?
Ahead of Sunday’s game against visiting La Salle in Ann Arbor, Wolverines coach Dusty May has an idea.
“This is a big week for us not to let off the gas,” he said. “Treat it as an opportunity to learn and grow and prepare ourselves for obviously a tough Big Ten slate.”
The nonconference card certainly hasn’t been too tough for Michigan (10-0), although it wasn’t from lack of trying. Other than an 85-84 squeaker Nov. 11 against Wake Forest in Detroit, the Wolverines tried to test themselves against the likes of San Diego State, Auburn, Gonzaga and Villanova.
Average margin of victory against four proud programs who have been to the Final Four more recently than Michigan: Try a ridiculous 34.5 points, including a 101-61 thumping of the Zags last month in the Players’ Era title game. That’s the only loss for 11-1 Gonzaga.
Offensively, the Wolverines have scored 100 points five times. They’re top five in Division I in four categories — points (94.7), field goal percentage (53.0), rebounds (44.5) and assists (21.3).
May made intelligent portal additions, adding UAB center Yaxel Lendeborg and North Carolina guard Eliot Cadeau. The latter leads the team in assists at 6.1 per game and Lendeborg is one of the best-passing big men in the country.
“It’s a testament to their unselfishness but also their basketball IQ is high,” May said of his team’s willingness to share the ball.
Defensively? Michigan is seventh in Division I in blocked shots at 6.4 per game, a testament to its three-big lineup of Lendeborg, Illinois transfer Morez Johnson Jr. and UCLA transfer Aday Mara. It also allows the lowest shooting percentage on 2-pointers in the country.
All those things on paper represent bad news for the Explorers (4-8), which have just one player scoring in double figures — Niagara transfer Jaeden Marshall at 12.6 ppg — and rank 335th in the nation in scoring at 67.3 ppg.
To make matters tougher, while the Wolverines have been off since a 101-83 pummeling of Big Ten foe Maryland on Dec. 13 in College Park, La Salle has less than 48 hours to prepare for this game. It played Friday night at Big South Conference favorite High Point, losing 84-72 despite 22 points from Marshall.
The Explorers are under new leadership as Darris Nichols took over for the retired Fran Dunphy. Nichols brought in nearly an entirely new roster and there have been predictable growing pains.
La Salle has not only struggled to score, it has had issues keeping the opponents from doing so. The Explorers allow the opposition to convert nearly 36% of their 3-point attempts while making a measly 31.7%.
But Nichols, who carved out a solid playing career for Bob Huggins at West Virginia, feels like the Explorers can become a tough out by exhibiting one trait above all others.
“We value toughness before anything,” he said.
