Michigan walked into the Players Era Festival searching for rhythm and left with three blowout wins that almost defy explanation. The Wolverines beat San Diego State 94 to 54, crushed twenty first ranked Auburn 102 to 72 and dismantled twelfth ranked Gonzaga 101 to 61. That is two forty point margins and one thirty point margin in three straight days, all against high major competition.
Dusty May never pretended he saw that coming. He admitted afterward that the breakthrough he sensed was building, but the margins were beyond anything he imagined. “Not unless we were scheduling non ones,” he said during his postgame press conference. “We knew we were getting better. We were disappointed, but we were also doing a lot of difficult things well. We just had to simplify and live in each other’s strengths.”
The numbers back him up. Michigan shot 60 percent from the field and 48 percent from three against Gonzaga. The frontcourt trio of Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson and Aday Mara overwhelmed all three opponents. Yaxel put up 20 points and 11 rebounds in the title game. Johnson added 11 on 5 for 6 shooting. Mara scored 13 more. Nimari Burnett and Trey McKenney balanced the attack with smooth efficiency.
But May kept returning to something deeper than box scores. Humility. Connection. Roles.
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When Yaxel explained why this group will not get carried away by the sudden national attention, he pointed at the veterans who arrived with hype and never showed entitlement. “Nimari kept me under his wing from day one,” he said. “Nobody here thinks they’re better than anybody.”
May loved that answer. “These guys are symbolic of our program,” he said. “A couple weeks ago we were not bringing our secret sauce. Now guys are embracing who they are and what they do. When it is time to work, they work. When it is not, they enjoy each other.”
Michigan’s size and defensive presence were overwhelming throughout the tournament. May said Gonzaga’s paint attack has created mismatches “for eternity” but his team’s length and versatility changed the game. “When you get a couple shots blocked from behind you start looking around,” he said. “Everything went right for us today.”
The climb, he said, is only beginning. “As of today we have a really good basketball team with a high ceiling,” May said. “If we stay committed to the work and to each other, we will keep improving. If we start listening to outside noise, there will be cracks in the foundation.”
Three games. Three statements. And a coach who refuses to let it turn his locker room into something it is not.
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