Behind the numbers of another Sweet 16 birth for Michigan basketball

Michigan promised to let their play do the talking and that’s just what they did in Buffalo as they dominated the Saint Louis Billikens in their 95-72 victory on Saturday. They are now their way to their second straight Sweet Sixteen. It was a game that the Wolverines controlled from start to finish, outscoring Saint Louis 48-39 in the first half before putting up a dominating 47-33 edge in the second.

The Maize and Blue won by turning Saint Louis’ game upside down on both ends of the court. Coming into the game, Josh Schertz had the Billikens playing solid defensively as they were ranked in the top 40 by both KenPom and Torvik. They were top 10 in many categories, including opponent expected field goal percentage (#1) and opponent three-point percentage (#7). But Michigan basketball took them to school by shooting 34-of-61 from the field (55.7% FG) and knocking down 11-of-23 threes (47.8% from beyond the arc).

The length and athleticism the Wolverines can put on the floor at any time was simply too much for a very good Billiken defense. No one exhibited that more than Yaxel Lendeborg, who had a quiet nine points in the team’s first-round win over Howard. He had 25 in the second round to get to the Sweet Sixteen on an extremely efficient 9-of-13 from the floor, as well as a thunderous dunk that brought the Ann Arbor faithful to their feet.

Michigan dominated on the glass and on defense

As with so many opponents Michigan faces, Saint Louis simply could not compete on the glass, with the Wolverines amassing a 40-24 advantage there. The Wolverines' own defensive prowess has been talked about often, but the Billikens actually presented a significant challenge as one of the top offensive teams in college basketball. They were top 10 in points scored, field goal percentage, and second nationally from deep coming into this game.  

Center Robbie Avila was an extremely important part of that, as he was a 40 percent shooter from three and constantly demanded so much defensive attention that it led to a number of quality looks for his teammates. But the combination of Mara and Johnson was too much for the senior center as he mustered just nine points on 3-of-13 from the field. And the Wolverines did it without fouling as Avila didn’t shoot a single free throw.

Overall, St. Louis shot 44% but just 31% beyond the arc while managing only 72 points. These were well below their season averages of 87 a game off of 51% from the floor. That type of disruption is what an elite defense like Michigan can bring, and they can stifle anyone on any given day.

As Dusty May’s squad prepares to take on the winner of the matchup between Texas Tech and Alabama they know they will be tasked with finding a way to stop other talented scorers. It will either be the Crimson Tide’s Labaron Philon at 22 points per game or the Red Raiders’ Christian Anderson at nearly 19 a game. Whomever their opponent may be, the way Michigan suffocated one of the country’s hottest offenses this past weekend demonstrates that they are up to any challenge.