3 things we learned in Michigan Basketball win over Purdue Fort Wayne

The defense was much better

Maybe the biggest question mark about this team was how was it going to play on defense. The lack of shooting was an issue last season but the defense also wasn’t up to snuff.

Juwan Howard was known for his defense as an assistant coach with the Miami Heat and during his first two seasons, he kept the momentum going after the defense got much better during the last few seasons of John Beilein.

On Monday, there were signs that that kind of defense could return. Purdue Fort Wayne didn’t have its best offensive player but it’s a good shooting team and one that was tied for first in the Horizon League for a reason.

U-M held them to 0.77 points per possession. The Mastodons shot 29 percent from the field and also just 23 percent from 3-point range. Dickinson was especially active and blocked three shots. I also thought Terrance Williams did a better job on defense, an area where he needed to improve.

Bufkin too. He didn’t look lost out there and you didn’t see any of the mental lapses that kept him off the floor a season ago. He was sharp and once his shots start falling, this team is going to be really dangerous.

Before the season, we predicted Michigan could make another Sweet 16, and frankly, I didn’t see anything to dissuade me from that. I actually think the ceiling could be higher based on the performance last night but it’s early and as we said, Michigan fans shouldn’t overreact.