Michigan basketball expecting Big Ten-type of game vs. Tennessee in Elite Eight

CHICAGO – The Michigan Wolverines can advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis next weekend with a win over the Tennessee Volunteers in the Elite Eight. For the first time in the NCAA Tournament, it is an opponent that could closely resemble the rough-and-tumble style in the Big Ten.

Tennessee plays a lot like some of the opponents that Michigan saw in the final few weeks of the season, taking pride in rebounding its own misses and crashing the boards on both ends. They’ll also slow down the pace, ranking 297th in tempo this season.

But 37 games into the season, head coach Dusty May thinks the Wolverines have prepared for it all, whether it be a track meet or a fist fight.

“There’s going to be a lot of good big guys on the court for both teams tomorrow,” May said during his podium session on Saturday. “We’re at the point of the season now where we’ve proved we’re able to win no matter how the game goes. Slow, fast, physical, free-flowing. So we try to figure out how the game is being officiated, what the rules of engagement are, and try to do the best we can.

“We feel like we’re built to win and play whatever it is. We feel like being adaptable is a strength.”

Tennessee is the best offensive rebounding team in the country, but the matchup is not all that dissimilar to the Round of 32 draw against Texas A&M last year. Michigan has experiences it can pull from both that and the Big Ten season.

“Just like being able to get hits early on and not allow them to get position,” senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. said. “They play three bigs most of the time, similar guys. So it’s just all about positioning for us, especially on the long rebounds, long shots. Being able to chop our feet, not letting balls go over our head and being able to win the position back.”

Graduate guard Nimari Burnett weighed in: “We’ve played, especially in the Big Ten, teams like Illinois, Purdue, there’s been a lot of teams that crash the glass heavily, and that’s their identity. That’s been Tennessee’s identity throughout the season. So we look forward to getting physical hits throughout the course of 40 minutes and winning the rebound battle is one of our goals for this game.”

With a little more of a straight-up matchup for Michigan’s bigs, both Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. will have the microscope on them after off nights against Alabama on Friday. Mara knows that each game is different, and what the key could be in this game Sunday.

“Obviously, when I play well, it helps the team,” Mara said. “But I think [Friday] we had other players playing really well. You want to play well, but we don’t have the pressure of “we have to score, we have to play a good game” to beat the other team. We have so many players and they can just come out and just play and give us what we need.

“I think yesterday was a different type of game and style that we struggled a little bit more, but I think our guards did a great job and just helped us out. I would say just when we’re not playing tough enough, when we’re not playing with enough grit or physicality on the defensive end. Things are gonna happen on the offensive end, but I mean with our size and our length on the defensive side we should be able to always rely on that with the rebound.”

Michigan did not just get this far to say it did. Mara says the team has goals much bigger than just getting to the Final Four, and that Sunday’s game is another step on that journey.

Michigan was able to get its mojo back in the NCAA Tournament by playing fast, but Sunday will be more about toughness, positioning and discipline more than anything else.

For a team that has leaned on adaptability all season long, it’s just another box to check.

“That’s why I came here,” Mara said. “That’s why we got together and that’s what we were preparing and practicing so hard through preseason, during the season, and now postseason. So I think since we came [in] together, we knew we were able to do it.

“We are not here to make the Final Four; we are here to win the championship.”

Sunday’s game is set for a 2:15 p.m. ET tipoff on CBS from United Center in Chicago. BetMGM has the Wolverines as a 7.5-point favorite with the over/under set at 146.5.