3 takeaways from Michigan basketball's violating of Villanova

Former Maryland coach Kevin Willard returned to Crisler on Tuesday evening, where he coached the Terps to a very stimulating win over Michigan basketball last March. This one was more like the last handful of games for the consensus No. 1 team in the nation, which is two years removed from being last place in the Big Ten. Here are some of the takeaways from the evisceration of another blue blood.

1. Michigan's offense was outscored in a half for the first time since the TCU win

Up by 30 at intermission, Michigan posted 53 points on the board and were well on there way to 100 plus again. However they went four minutes without a conventional bucket which is a rarity for them lately. In five out of the last seven halves Michigan has eclipsed the 50 point barrier and was outscored by a deuce in the second stanza. TCU is the only team to garner a lead over Michigan at the half of any game this year.

2. Michigan has nine wins over nine different conference teams

Michigan's basketball account posted on Tuesday night that the Wolverines have five wins over power five conference schools this season. That got me thinking. To piggyback off of that, the maize and blue have beaten nine different teams from nine different conferences in their first month of basketball. La Salle and McNeese will add to that tidbit if Michigan gets past them and Maryland, before the Big Ten season restarts in January.

3. Michigan started 17-0 in 2018 when they won at Villanova by 27

Over seven years ago, Michigan basketball entered Finneran Pavilion and handed Villanova a similar beating to Tuesday night's victory. Michigan didn't lose until late January that year, and that could be the same case for this go around. Besides Michigan, Nebraska is the only remaining undefeated squad in the conference, and they'll visit Crisler before the top-10 tilt for Big Ten supremacy in East Lansing to close out January.