There's nothing left for U-M to prove against low-level teams like La Salle. Instead, it's about proving to itself exactly what it is.
The next few weeks are about No. 1 Michigan basketball, and not who's on the Wolverines' schedule.
U-M is 10-0 for the first time since the 2020-21 season, which was the last time the Wolverines won a Big Ten title and finished the season by making it to the Elite Eight. In Year 2 under Dusty May, U-M has even higher aspirations as one of the top contenders to win the national championship.
Michigan has dominated on both sides of the ball and Sunday's opponent, La Salle (4-7), which is ranked No. 263 in the nation by KenPom, figures to provide little if any resistance to a U-M team that is clicking on all cylinders.
The next few weeks are about challenging themselves before a tough Big Ten slate starts back up. That starts with La Salle.
Outstanding offense
U-M has scored 100 points or more in five of its first 10 games this year. The only other team in program history to do so came in 1988-89, the last time the Wolverines won it all. In fact, there were only six instances prior to this year where U-M amassed five games of 100 points or more in an entire year, much less the first third of the season.
It has happened in large part because of sharing the ball, leading the nation at 21.3 assists per game. The passing is spearheaded by Elliot Cadeau at 6.1 assists per game, but continues with players like Yaxel Lendeborg, who is one of the most efficient scorers in college basketball but is perfectly happy to share the wealth.
“I mean, Yaxel goes 8-for-11 from the field. I don't think there's any superstar-caliber player in the country that would turn down the shots to get Aday (Mara) those touches and L.J. (Cason) those shots,” May told reporters following U-M's 101-83 over Maryland this past week. “It's a testament to their unselfishness but also their basketball IQ is high."
The Wolverines are No. 5 in the country in offensive efficiency per KenPom (125.1 points per 100 possessions), No. 4 in effective field goal percentage (61.4%), No. 2 in 2-point shooting (64.5%) and have cut way down on the turnovers from 2024.
All this is to say, there's little La Salle's defense will be able to do to slow Michigan. For May's group –which has five players averaging double figures and a sixth at 9.7 per game – the goal is continuing to play for one another.
“This is a big week for us to not let off the gas as we finish school,” May said during finals week in Ann Arbor. “Really treat it as an opportunity to learn and grow and prepare ourselves for obviously a tough Big Ten slate.”
Defensive defiance
La Salle has just one player in Jaeden Marshall averaging more than 10 points per game (11.7) and don't shoot efficiently from anywhere, ranked No. 306 (46.5%) in 2-point shooting and No. 224 (32.4%) on 3-pointers.
This will be an opportunity for the Wolverines to again get their reserves in the game early and often. Expect the second half to feature a lot of Will Tschetter, Trey McKenney, L.J. Cason, Grady Winters and Malick Kordel.
“We think we’re extremely deep,” May foretold in the preseason. “We have a lot of different ways we can play."
It all starts with defense. U-M is No. 1 in defense per KenPom (87.0), No. 1 against 2-point shooting (38.7%), No. 8 in effective field goals against (42.4), No. 13 in block rate (16.4) and No. 31 in offensive rebounding rate (26.0) thanks to its three-big lineup of Lendeborg, Mara and Morez Johnson Jr.
Given La Salle scores more than 57% of its points inside the arc, it figures to be a long day for the Explorers.
May won't chalk up the win just yet, saying this time of year is when he feels "most upsets happen," but he does hope the Explorers can do what other opponents have done.
Not exactly test Michigan, but teach them lessons while stacking wins.
“I want to give credit to our schedule and our opponents because they’ve exposed some things,” he said.
Michigan vs La Salle prediction
For all the reasons above, it's hard to imagine this game is any different than the last six, five of which have been decided by 25 points or more. KenPom sees this as a 35-point U-M victory, but that's likely anticipating that the Wolverines will call off the dogs eventually. In a week that has been hard for Michigan athletics, the Wolverines will provide a reason to smile again on "Kids Club Day" at Crisler Center. The pick: Michigan 97, La Salle 56.
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball chasing perfection in prep for Big Ten slate
Category: General Sports
