Michigan Basketball: 3 takeaways from a sweet victory over Texas A&M

Texas A&M was starting to pull away in the second half of things when Michigan went on a surge. Wade Taylor buried a long three to put the Aggies up four and he let Roddy Gayle hear about it. Minutes later Gayle retook the lead with a personal 12-0 run of his own. The Wolverines put the clamps down after that and eliminated the Aggies from contention.

Here's three of the takeaways from the never-say-die victory in Denver.

1. Roddy Gayle's redemption story

The Ohio State transfer has never had a more impactful game in his college career. He shot 50 percent from the field and over 65 percent from 3-point range for the first time since November. Saturday was the coming out party that Michigan has been waiting for since he stepped foot on campus. He had multiple career highs in statistics and finally found his rhythm. We haven't seen this version of Gayle since the beginning of the season.

Gayle has been ridiculed and benched because of his garbage play. On Saturday he got the last laugh to those who wrote him off too early.

L.J. Cason was just as impressive. His penetration earned him trips to the foul line. The 39 bench points is a season high for Michigan who has relied on its starters for most of the ride. The Aggies still got the better of the Wolverines in points because of another stellar performance by Pharrel Payne.

2. Michigan basketball keeps defying the odds

Following last Sunday's championship win, it was safe to say that Michigan would get a four seed and be playing closer to home. That didn't happen as they got their names called early in a fashionable upset pick by the pundits.

In the three games of the Big Ten tournament, Michigan was the overwhelming underdog. On Saturday it was the same result. Purdue was supposed to beat them, Maryland was expected to beat them, and Texas A&M was death knocking on their door to eliminate them. Dusty May has coached this program from the basement of the Big Ten to a date with the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament in the shortest amount of time.

Michigan football hasn't slayed a No. 1 seed since Kansas. If someone had said that Michigan would win the Big Ten tourney and advance to the Sweet 16 a year ago, people would respond by making the laughing emoji towards you.

A brand new starting lineup with only two playable holdovers from Juwan Howard's final stint. Throw in the loss of Hunter Dickinson and Warde Manuel's incompetence by some. It all equals one of the most resounding turnarounds in program and college basketball history.

3. Michigan basketball documents its 11th win over the SEC in the NCAA's

During the season Michigan couldn't get by the SEC. They lost their only two and were bound to repeat history on Saturday. Texas A&M leaped out to a 10 point lead in the second and things looked grim. Michigan wasn't converting layups and no one was separating themselves in the scoring column. Then Roddy Gayle Jr. came from out of nowhere to spark the Wolverines.

The last loss to an SEC team came against Kentucky in the elite eight around a decade ago. Now they'll get another chance to rewrite history by going back-to-back against the regular season's most lauded conference. The maize and blue are seeking their sixth win in as many tries over the Southeastern congregation.

Tennessee and Florida are the most frequent opponents that the Wolverines have beaten. The 2011 loss to John Beilein was his curtain call at Tennessee. The last meeting between these two schools dates all the way back to before the birth of all the players on the court. Four members of the Fab Five were still in a maize and blue uniform. Michigan lost in the elite eight that year to the eventual national champions from the SEC.