The No. 1 seed Michigan Wolverines took down the No. 9 seed Saint Louis Billikens, 95-72, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center on Saturday in Buffalo, New York.
Here are some takeaways from the NCAA Tournament win.
Michigan reaches Sweet Sixteen in consecutive years
After missing the NCAA Tournament in the final two years of Juwan Howard’s tenure, the Wolverines have returned to national prominence under head coach Dusty May — reaching the Sweet Sixteen in two straight years for the first time since 2021-22. Michigan has now
advanced to the Sweet Sixteen seven times in the past 10 seasons, which is a very impressive feat.
Yaxel Lendeborg bounces back in a big way
After suffering an ankle injury in the Big Ten Tournament, Yaxel Lendeborg didn’t really look like himself in the first-round win vs Howard. However, he bounced back in a big way against Saint Louis with a game-high 25 points, highlighted by a trio of thunderous dunks — including a fast-break poster slam that fueled a 17-6 run and essentially put the game out of reach.
Aday Mara is in the midst of a memorable March run
Aday Mara was great in his first NCAA Tournament game at Michigan, totaling 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks against Howard. He was nearly as dynamic against Saint Louis, racking up 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and four blocks. He is playing at an elite level right now and is in the midst of a memorable March run.
Elliot Cadeau’s excellent performance was much-needed
Elliot Cadeau’s impact varies on a game by game basis, but he was excellent in the win over Saint Louis — going for 12 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Just moments after Saint Louis took a lead in the first half, Cadeau took over in the ensuing minutes by recording eight points, two assists and one block in less than four minutes to help the Wolverines regain momentum.
Nimari Burnett keeps up pace from beyond the arc
Despite coming up short in the Big Ten Tournament Championship last week, Nimari Burnett was able to break out of a recent slump, and that’s paid dividends the last two games. He scored 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field vs Howard, and followed it up with 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting from three-point range to help Michigan beat Saint Louis.
Ability to avoid turnovers will be key moving forward
Turnovers have been a problem for the Wolverines this season (ranking 226th in the country with 11.9 turnovers per game), but they took much better care of the ball to open the NCAA Tournament. Michigan committed 10 turnovers vs Howard and just nine against Saint Louis, which will be key to continue moving forward.
Pair of big runs paved the way for double-digit win
Both teams were trading punches throughout most of the first half until Michigan put together a 14-3 run to create a little bit of separation going into halftime. The Wolverines held Saint Louis scoreless for nearly four minutes and extended the lead to 46-34. In the second half, Michigan used another explosive run to pull away and put the final touches on a double-digit win.
Michigan is nearly unbeatable when winning rebound battle
Michigan has been one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, leading the Big Ten with 29.1 defensive rebounds per game. The Wolverines are nearly unbeatable when they win the rebounding battle and that continued with a 42-27 rebound advantage in the win over Saint Louis. Michigan is now 32-1 when recording more rebounds than its opponents this season.
The Wolverines continue to shoot the lights out from outside
The Wolverines have been relatively inconsistent from beyond the arc throughout the season, but they have caught fire in two games in the NCAA Tournament. During the win over Howard, Michigan shot 11-for-24 from three-point territory and they followed it up with an even better shooting performance against Saint Louis – knocking down 11-for-23 from three-point range.
