If Michigan plays the way it did in the second half against Saint Louis, the Wolverines will be cutting down the nets in a couple of weeks.
Yaxel Lendeborg was dominant. Michigan basketball was draining 3-point shots, and after it took a little while to get a grip on the Saint Louis offense, the Wolverines locked down defensively in a 95-72 win to reach the Sweet 16 for the seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament trip.
Michigan held one of the best offensive teams in the tournament in just 1.06 points per possession. On the other end, the Wolverines scored a blistering 1.36.
Lendeborg scored 25 points. He had a monster slam dunk in the second half, one of the best passes you will ever see, and a dagger 3-pointer that clinched an impressive win. Yaxel made 9 of 13 shots. He also made three shots from beyond the arc. As a team, the Wolverines made 11.
They shot 46 percent from 3-point range against Howard. Michigan basketball shot 50 percent on Saturday. So much for the Wilson ball being an issue.
If Michigan wasn't used to it before. It is now.
After giving up 39 in the first half, Michigan allowed just 33 in the second, even after Saint Louis hit four of five 3-point shots to start the stanza. It felt like it was going to be a game. It was 57-53, Michigan.
Michigan found its early-season form against Saint Louis
Then, the Wolverines went on a 27-10 run, capped by the 3-pointer from Yaxel. That turned a tight battle into a 21-point lead, and eventually a 23-point win, the second 20-point win of the NCAA Tournament for the Wolverines.
When Michigan plays like that, when Yaxel is burying shots, when Morez Johnson and Aday Mara combined for 31 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, and five blocks on 12-for-21 shooting, and when four different players hit multiple threes, it's hard to see this team losing.
I've said all year I don't see Michigan losing if it makes 10 3-pointers or more. The Wolverines made 11 and won by 23. Elliot Cadeau was huge with 12 points, eight assists, and four boards. All five starters scored in double figures. Trey McKenney added eight off the bench, and somehow, Michigan turned a nail-biter into a blowout.
This game, the second half at least, was reminiscent of Michigan's early-season dominance. That's a good sign with the Sweet 16 six days away.