Michigan Basketball: 3 things we learned in win over Tennessee

Eli Brooks can close

Eli Brooks came back to Michigan basketball for a reason and it was to do what he did on Saturday.

While Brooks didn’t win his last game in the Crisler Center, he is going to be remembered as one of the greatest ever to wear the Maize and Blue.

Brooks might not be remembered in the same way as Chris Webber or Juwan Howard. Yet as one of the gutsiest players in program history (he’s been part of more wins than anyone in Michigan basketball history), his performance was legendary.

With the season on the line, Brooks scored 11 of 18 points for the Wolverines and that stretch included a dazzling three-point play that gave Michigan basketball the lead for good and also a hook shot (Zavier Simpson style) that was the final dagger.

His defense was also extraordinary. It was a classic Eli Brooks performance. The Senior made 9-of-14 shots including a tone-setting 3-pointer in the first half and every time the Wolverines were on the ropes, the Professor found a way to land a punch.

It was a masterful performance and I’m just glad it wasn’t his last as a Wolverine.