5 Takeaways From Michigan’s Blowout Win Over La Salle

The No. 2 Michigan men’s basketball team invited La Salle into Crisler Center for a pre-conference play tune-up, and the Wolverines rudely welcomed the Explorers in with a 102-50 blowout win.

La Salle isn’t on the same level as many of the teams that the Wolverines have faced off against this season, but mid-December games can offer some shocking results. With players and coaches alike looking forward to the holidays and the upcoming conference season, buy games can turn to upsets very quickly.

Michigan didn’t fall into that trap. After a bit of a sluggish start, the Wolverines turned up the pressure — literally, employing a full-court press that the Explorers struggled to figure out — and found their groove on their way to a 52-point win.

Here are five key takeaways from Michigan’s blowout win Sunday evening…

Heading into the season, there were some questions swirling about junior guard Elliot Cadeau’s role in the offense. It was no secret that he was one of the top passing point guards in the country, but he struggled to shoot the ball with much consistency in his time with North Carolina. For Michigan, however, Cadeau has found his stroke.

He’s averaging 10.1 points per game and making 43.5% of his shots from beyond the arc. In his freshman season he shot just 18.9% on 1.4 attempts per game, and in his sophomore season he climbed to 33.7% from deep on 2.4 attempts. Not only has he vastly improved his percentage again this season, he’s doing it on nearly double the volume, shooting 4.2 3-pointers per game.

Cadeau is still an elite passing point guard, but adding a consistent and confident 3-point shot opens up the offense for both him and his teammates.

For much of the game, Michigan employed full-court pressure on La Salle, collecting plenty of turnovers and speeding the Explorers up. The Wolverines have shown full-court pressure at times this season, but this was the first time they used it for an extended period of time. 

Interestingly, head coach Dusty May had sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. operating at the point of the press. Johnson guarded the inbounder, then moved to trap on the first pass. Generally, this is a guard’s job since they are usually quicker, but Johnson’s combination of size and athleticism gave La Salle fits in the back court. Graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg and graduate guard Nimari Burnett were often on the wings behind Johnson, offering even more length in the traps.

The pressure was quite successful, but the Wolverines already had a distinct advantage in size and athleticism over La Salle. Whether the success will translate against Big Ten quality opponents remains to be seen, but May certainly has it in his back pocket.

The Wolverines are an incredibly deep team, and they continue to show it. They had eight players score six or more points, and that’s even with a starter — Burnett — scoring just four. Five players scored in double figures, and two of those players came off the bench.

The bench unit actually gave Michigan its initial jolt. The starters were locked in a stalemate for the first six minutes of the game, but the Wolverines’ bench unit came on and sparked a 22-2 run that really opened things up.

Having guys like senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr., sophomore guard L.J. Cason, freshman guard Trey McKenney, and graduate forward Will Tschetter that can come in and immediately provide energy without a dropoff in performance is a massive luxury. While other teams may see a decline in efficiency when their starters go out, Michigan’s bench unit has the ability to sustain, and even elevate, the level of play.

Seemingly every game, Cason gets more comfortable as a true backup point guard. Cason proved that he could be an offensive sparkplug down the stretch last season, but he’s coming into his own as a lead guard this season.

Last year, Cason was a little rough around the edges. While his scoring chops were apparent, sometimes his decision making was questionable, and he could get out of control. This season, however, it looks like the game is moving much slower for him, and the rough peripheral skills that originally made him a raw prospect have begun to smoothen out.

In its last two games, the Wolverines are shooting a ridiculous 54.2% from deep as a team. They’ve proven that they don’t need to be hitting from three to win against quality opponents — they shot just 27.3% in a blowout win over Villanova — but when they are hitting, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop this offense.

Michigan makes its money in the paint and on the fast break, but if it’s consistently hitting from three, it truly has no weakness. The Wolverines have had their share of rough shooting games, but on the season, they’re shooting 38.9% from deep, good for 18th in the country. And as conference play approaches, it’s beginning to seem like that number isn’t a fluke.

They might not be able to keep shooting like they have in the last two games, but if they can stay around 38% on the season, they’ll be extremely tough to take down.