The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines took down the Minnesota Golden Gophers 77-67 to clinch a share of the Big Ten regular season championship at the Crisler Center on Tuesday. Dusty May’s team improved to 26-2 and 16-1 in Big Ten play.
Here are six takeaways from the win over Minnesota.
The Wolverines clinched at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title
With the win over Minnesota, the Wolverines
have officially clinched at least a share of the Big Ten regular season championship. Michigan has now won the conference regular season title 16 times in school history, including for the fourth time this century. The Wolverines still have bigger goals in mind, but there’s no doubt that a Big Ten title means a lot to the program.
Michigan shouldn’t lose the rebound and points in the paint battles
Michigan was outplayed in the paint against Duke – partly due to Aday Mara’s foul trouble – and that shouldn’t happen again. Duke had an edge in rebounds (41-28) and paint points (34-24), which is inexcusable for a Wolverines frontcourt that has so much athleticism and size. Michigan bounced back with more rebounds (39-18) and paint points (26-24) than Minnesota.
Defense is one of the best in the country, but there are still lapses
The Wolverines own one of the best defenses in the country, but there are still lapses that must be avoided. Michigan went on an 11-0 run and held Minnesota scoreless for over five minutes to take control in the first half, then the defensive intensity let up and allowed the Golden Gophers to get back into the game. In order to win a national title, the defense has to be dialed in at all times.
Elliot Cadeau’s importance can’t be understated
Elliot Cadeau struggled in the loss to Duke last week, shooting 1-for-8 from the field, continuing to show just how important he is to Michigan’s success. It’s hard to imagine the Wolverines winning a national championship if Cadeau isn’t playing at a high level. In the win over Minnesota, Cadeau was back to his usual standard – posting a team-high 15 points, five assists and four rebounds.
L.J. Cason continues to make a case for ‘nation’s best backup’
College Basketball Insider Jon Rothstein recently said L.J. Cason is the nation’s best backup point guard, and the Michigan reserve is proving him right. Cason has been great lately, averaging 12.1 points and 2.9 assists in the last seven games, and he continued to excel against Minnesota with 14 points and five rebounds– highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers to fuel a 12-2 run in the second half.
Trey McKenney is blossoming into a great player sooner than later
It’s become obvious that Trey McKenney is going to be a great player someday, but it seems like he could get there even sooner than we thought. The Michigan guard is a dynamic, efficient and physical player who can shoot the lights out and score from anywhere on the floor. McKenney posted 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting from three-point range in the win over Minnesota.
Up next
Michigan will face the No. 10 Illinois Fighting Illini on Friday (8:00 p.m. on FOX) with a chance to clinch an outright Big Ten regular season title.
