The Michigan Wolverines have looked like one of the most impressive teams in the country to start the season and hope to continue their early success against the Kansas State Wildcats in the finals of the NIT Season Tipoff at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
Michigan (4-0) is the fourth ranked team in the nation and has been dominant in their first three wins, defeating teams by a margin of 35 points. The Wolverines had their first test on Wednesday against Pittsburgh in the semifinals, winning a close game 67-62.
"With this team, we know we need to stay grounded, humble, stay together," said guard Trey Burke, who had 17 points and six assists in the win.
The sophomore has been one of the most impressive players for the Wolverines, leading the team in points and assists, averaging 18 and 7.5 per game respectively. Against IUPUI on Nov. 12 Burke had 22 points and nine assists while shooting over 53 percent from the field.
The Wolverines are ranked 5th in field goal percentage in the nation, but struggled against the Panthers, shooting only 3-of-17 from 3-point range. Tim Hardaway Jr. struggled in the game, making only one 3-point shot after coming into the game 8-for-11 in the past three.
Pittsburgh offered the Wolverines a physical and up-tempo matchup, forcing Michigan to employ a 1-3-1 zone defense after falling behind in the second half.
"I think (coach John Beilein) trusted the three-zone enough for us to go to it," Burke said.
The Wolverines are averaging 83.8 points per game and are ranked 41st in the nation in rebounding. The team played with poise late in the game against Pittsburgh, limiting mistakes to overcome bad shooting against a tough opponent.
"The coaches do a good job of putting us in those scenarios," Burke said. "When it comes to game-time we just tell each other to win the game, shoot with confidence."
Hardaway scored 16 points against Pittsburgh and is averaging 17 per game this season. He leads the team in rebounding with 6.8 per game and has been shooting well from field, making 60 percent of his shots, including 50 percent from 3-point range.
Last year the Wolverines went 24-10 and finished tied for first in the Big Ten with a 13-5 record. Michigan had a disappointing finish to the season, losing in the first round 65-60 to Ohio.
The Wolverines will face their second-straight tough test when they face the Wildcats on Friday.
Kansas State has been nearly as impressive as Michigan and defeated Delaware 66-63 on Wednesday to advance to the finals. The Wildcats have won five-straight games and are ranked fifth in the nation in rebounding with 47.2 per game.
"They're going to give us their best game, just like we're going to do on Friday as well," said Hardaway. "Preparation is key to try to get a win."
First-year Kansas State coach Bruce Weber is familiar with Michigan from his days coaching at Illinois. According to the Associated Press, Weber "went 5-5 against the Wolverines since Beilein took over in 2007."
"You have a chance to play in the championship game of the NIT, one of the most prestigious tournaments around, and especially preseason," Weber said. "For us it's a big step. If you want to be good, you have to play good teams and learn."
Kansas State has a deep roster and proved it on Wednesday against Delaware with three players scoring 12 points. Angel Rodriguez is leading the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game and scored 12 points with four rebounds in the seminfinal game.
For the Wildcats to win on Friday, they will need a strong game from Rodney McGruder, who led the team in scoring last year, averaging 18.8 points. This season he is only scoring 10 points per game on 38 percent shooting, but has improved recently scoring 16 points on Sunday against North Florida.
Freshman D.J. Johnson is leading the team in rebounding with 6.6 per game and is averaging 4.8 points in his first season. His best game came in the Wildcats' opening win against North Dakota where he grabbed nine rebounds and added four blocks.
Last year Kansas State went 22-11 and finished fifth place in the Big 12 with a 10-8 record. The Wildcats made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament after defeating Southern Miss, but lost to Syracuse 75-59 to end the year.
According to the Associated Press, "This is the first test against a major conference program for Kansas State, which was 4-5 versus ranked teams last season."
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