Michigan isn’t just good, they might be the best team in the country

How good is Michigan?

Well, the Wolverines are a legit problem in college basketball.

On the heels of a Sweet Sixteen appearance where they were defeated by No. 1 Auburn, the Wolverines needed to make a splash in the portal, and splash they did.

Their first move was to bring in a five-star transfer from UAB, Yaxel Lendeborg.

Lendeborg has not only been the best player on this Wolverine team, but he’s arguably been the best player in the country.

Through their first seven games, he’s averaging 16 points per game, 7.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 61.3% from the field.

The next big transfer they brought in was Morez Johnson Jr. from Illinois.

He’s been an excellent addition and a great counterpart to Lendeborg, averaging 13 points per game, with 6.6 rebounds while shooting an electric 66% from the field.

Another big transfer (no pun intended) was the 7'3" center they brought in.

Aday Mara came over from UCLA and has made an immediate impact. He’s averaging ten points and nearly nine rebounds per game.

His height has proved to be a thorn in opposing teams' sides, as nobody’s been able to stop him through the early portion of this season.

An important player to retain was guard Roddy Gayle Jr. The senior is averaging around 11 points per game and is the lone returner in the Wolverines' starting lineup.

The last starter is freshman Trey McKenney. The 6 '4 guard is averaging 11 points per game and had his best game most recently versus Gonzaga, where he went for 17 points.

Fans were skeptical of this Michigan team after their first three games, where they were only able to defeat a decent Wake Forest team by one in overtime and a weak TCU squad by four.

The Wolverines, however, silenced all doubt in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas.

Their first victim, the San Diego State Aztecs. This is a weaker Aztec team than we’ve seen in past years, and Michigan handled them accordingly, beating them by 40.

Next was the Auburn Tigers. Under the new head coach, and son of now retired Bruce Pearl, Steven Pearl and his 1-2 punch of Keyshawn Hall and Tahaad Pettiford came in ready to go.

Michigan swiftly beat them by 30. They trailed once, when the game was 2-0 Auburn.

Finally, it was Gonzaga in the Players Era final. This Gonzaga team is primed for success, and they’ve already beaten a ranked Creighton team and a ranked Alabama team.

Michigan won by 40. They never trailed.

Yaxel Lendeborg had a double-double with 20 points with 11 assists and 11 different Wolverines contributed points.

So what is Dusty May cooking in Ann Arbor to make this Michigan team so successful?

Well, Michigan plays complementary basketball better than almost anybody in the country. They average 20.3 assists-per-game which is the third best in the country.

Their overall offense is also up there with the best in the country. As a team, they average 93.7 points per game, which is eighth best in the country.

This team is not invincible, however. They have their flaws. They allow nearly 70 points per game, and opposing teams are pulling in almost ten offensive rebounds per game.

Dusty May definitely has his squad heading in the right direction as they were ranked No. 3 in the most recent AP poll, up four spots from their first ranking this season.

So to answer the question, Michigan is not only one of the best teams in college basketball, but they might just be the frontrunner to win the National Championship.

Sawyer Bogaty is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email him at sgb5468@psu.edu.