Michigan Basketball: Takeaways and grades from win over UNLV

Michigan basketball took on UNLV at a weird time Saturday morning but still found a way to win by double digits. Here are our grades and takeaways. 

Following a tough loss on Tuesday to Seton Hall, Michigan basketball found itself in a dog fight against UNLV Saturday morning in Las Vegas.

But the Wolverines brought a few dogs to the fight and one of them was Moussa Diabate who threw down a highlight-reel dunk, made a major impact on the boards and defensively, plus made gamblers happy with two late free throws that helped U-M cover the spread with a 74-61 win.

Diabate scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and blocked two shots. He played 21 minutes and looked every bit like a five-star recruit and future NBA draft pick.

There were lots of things to feel good about as a Michigan basketball fan. But there are also a lot of inconsistencies too. Arizona is up next and that will be another difficult challenge.

First though, here are some takeaways from the UNLV win followed by grades.

Moussa makes an impact

This was the kind of effort we knew Diabate had in him. He was all over the court in his 21 minutes and played so well that Juwan Howard stuck with him down the stretch. The biggest thing was his defense and rebounding.

Diabate has the ability to switch just about any ball screen. He’s that athletic and it was on full display against the Running Rebels. Diabate also grabbed a couple of offensive boards and earned six free-throw attempts even if he only made two.

His big-time dunk in the first half helped set the tone and it’s hard not to be excited about his potential and what we could be down the road.