After grinding oui top-10 wins last week over Michigan State and Nebraska, the Michigan basketball team looks like it found its early-season mojo again.
It has looked that way since the second half of Nebraska. The Wolverines dominated the first half last Friday in East Lansing, building an 18-point lead. Michigan State came back, but the double-digit win felt like a turning point for the Wolverines.
Based on what we saw Thursday in a 110-69 win, that idea might be right.
Michigan basketball didn't just beat Penn State. The Wolverines embarrassed them. U-M beat Penn State so badly, there could have been a mercy rule.
Some top Michigan players were in during the second half, almost because it was too early to take them out. The Wolverines grabbed a 26-10 lead early and never looked back.
3-point shooting was an issue for Michigan before the last two games, but it wasn't against the Spartans. The Wolverines made 38 percent last Friday, then hit 15-of-29 (52 percent) on Thursday. Nimari Burnett scored 31 points and was 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. Yaxel Lendeborg scored six points of the Wolverines 110.
The Wolverines dominated the glass, held Penn State below 40 percent from the field, and made this feel like a game against a JV squad. Against a team dealing with injuries, that's probably what a team worthy of the No. 1 ranking should do.
Michigan basketball is off to a historic start
Michigan's win improved its record to 21-1, which is the best start in program history. It was the eighth 100-point game of the season, and the first since Dec. 29. It was also just the second in the Big Ten play.
It was a dominant effort reminiscent of some of the early-season games that made Michigan an early national-title contender.
Despite losing just once, it felt like the team hit a bit of a lull. It failed to cover the spread in seven straight games, and just didn't seem to be firing on all cylinders.
That's not the case anymore.
This team is starting to play its best basketball again, at just the right time.