The picture snapped pregame of Michigan coach Dusty May sitting in front of Michigan State’s student section should be framed forever. What followed was another Quadrant 1 victory for the Wolverines — this one on the road against a rival — that solidified them as the favorites in a loaded and deep Big Ten.
Final score: Michigan 83, Michigan State 81.
Yaxel Lendeborg, the UAB transfer who is perhaps now the favorite to be the Big Ten’s Player of the Year, got 26 points and 12 rebounds in front of a capacity crowd at the Breslin Center. Elliot Cadeau, the North Carolina transfer, added 17 points and six assists. Morez Johnson Jr., the Illinois transfer, finished with 12 points and four rebounds. Trey McKenney, the 6-foot-4 freshman, got 10 points. Add it up, and Michigan’s four double-digit scorers in this 40-minute contest are all first-year players in the program, a fact that serves as evidence that great teams can be built in one offseason provided the staff doing the building is competent and properly supported by its administration and boosters/collectives.
“I just let them get all their frustration and their animosity out early, and then that way they can enjoy the game” May joked/explained when asked about sitting in front of the students during warmups. “So, I felt like I contributed to the environment just a little bit.”
Michigan is No. 4 in Saturday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Arizona remains No. 1 for the 21st consecutive day. Next up for the Wolverines is Thursday’s game against Penn State. After that, they’ll play back-to-back road games at Ohio State (Feb. 9) and at Northwestern (Feb. 11).
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
1
Iowa State
3
Michigan St.
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