Michigan Basketball: 3 things we learned in win over Tennessee

Michigan basketball is headed back to the Sweet 16 for the fifth straight time and here are three things we learned in the win over Tennessee.

Of the now five consecutive runs Michigan basketball has made to the Sweet 16, perhaps none were more unexpected than this trip.

The Wolverines had reached the Sweet 16 as a seven seed once, but never as a double-digit seed and certainly not as an 11.

But that’s what Juwan Howard and his team accomplished. It was an up-and-down season but the talented Wolverines are finding themselves in March and following an epic collapse against Indiana, they proved to everyone they belong in the NCAA Tournament and after their second straight upset win, they are headed to the second weekend.

Here are three things we learned from Michigan basketball’s 76-68 win.

Juwan, defense deserve their due

There’s been a narrative that Michigan’s Juwan Howard can’t coach. I’m not sure where people are getting that from but the last five minutes are a reminder that Michigan has one of the best minds in college basketball.

Juwan coached circles around Rick Barnes. Yes, Hunter Dickinson didn’t get the ball much inside in the first half or down the stretch but his defensive adjustments late, switching between zone and man — sometimes on the same possession — really seemed to throw Tennessee for a loop.

Tennessee is also one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country and Michigan held the Vols to 2-of-18 from 3-point range. The Wolverines want to force teams into tough 2-point shots and that was successful on Saturday.

Plus, Hunter Dickinson, who got scored on a bunch in the first half, was huge on defense down the stretch, as was Eli Brooks. But what else is new?

Even Caleb Houstan had probably the best defensive game I’ve seen from him. He was terrible on offense but give credit where credit is due. Michigan was spectacular on defense and for the second straight game, U-M held a top-40 offense to under a point per possession.

That is one of the biggest reasons why the Wolverines are headed to the Sweet 16. So please, let’s stop with the talk that Howard can’t coach. In three years he has won a Big Ten title, reached two Sweet 16s in two tournaments (one was canceled) and he’s 5-1 overall in the Big Dance.