The Michigan Wolverines are on a roll as they enter Tuesday night's matchup against the No. 18-ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.
The team moved up one spot to No. 3 in the AP Top 25 rankings on Monday and won the NIT Season Tip-Off on Friday night after defeating Kansas State 71-57 in the tournament championship game.
Guard Tim Hardaway, Jr. won the MVP of the tournament after scoring 23 points in the title game, shooting 10-of-15 from the field to go along with seven rebounds. Hardaway has been stellar this season, leading the team in scoring and ranking second in rebounds and steals.
"This is what he works for. He works hard at not just being a shooter but to have an in-between game, be a rebounder," Michigan coach John Beilein said after the game to the Associated Press. "The biggest thing is his work ethic. That just doesn't happen. He's got great DNA, but DNA doesn't get you there alone."
Against Kansas State, the Wolverines relied heavily on Hardaway, as no one on the roster scored more than ten points. Guard Trey Burke had 10 points, while forward Glen Robinson III added 12 rebounds in the win.
Michigan has been one of the most impressive teams in the nation this year, averaging 81 points per game. The Wolverines has won their "first three games by a combined 105 points," according to the Associated Press, but will face a tougher test against NC State.
"The season is a marathon. This is maybe the first 400 yards or something of that marathon, but we ran it well," Beilein said to the Associated Press. "I think it's important that we're heading in the right direction."
The Wolverines are 6-0 on the season and haven't started 7-0 since 2006. During that season, Michigan suffered its first loss against NC State and are hoping history doesn't repeat itself this year.
"We've got to go prove it again," Beilein said. "They're not going to care that we won the (NIT) championship. We've got to perform again."
The Wolverines are only allowing 56 points per game this season and are ranked 28th in rebounds per game. This season the team is shooting 53 percent from the field, good for 4th in the nation.
Michigan started the season with three easy wins, but was tested in their last two against Pittsburgh and Kansas State. After defeating the Panthers 67-62, the team played hard against a talented Kansas State team to win the NIT Season Tip-Off.
Apart from Hardaway, Burke has been the most impressive player for the Wolverines, just a year after he averaged 14 points and four assists as a freshman. This season Burke is averaging 16 points per game and scored a season-high 22 against IUPUI on Nov. 12.
Last year Michigan never fell out of the Top 25 rankings and finished the season with a 24-10 record. The Wolverines were tied for first place in the Big Ten with a 13-5 record and made it to the semifinals of the 2012 Big Ten Conference Tournament. The team was upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament, losing 65-60 to Ohio.
NC State enters the game on a positive note after defeating UNC Asheville 82-80 on Friday, but head coach Mark Gottfried sees room for improvement.
"We've got to be better," Gottfried said to the Associated Press. "We've got to be better defensively. We've got to develop better chemistry amongst our team. We've got to develop a team spirit that is all about winning -- period. Nothing else. If we do that, we've got a chance to be a good team. If we don't, then we're just another team out there playing."
Richard Howell scored 23 points to lead the Wolfpack, while CJ Leslie had a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. NC State shot over 55 percent from the field, but allowed UNC Asheville to shoot 50 percent, including 42 percent from 3-point range.
The team rebounded from a bad 76-56 loss Oklahoma State in the championship game of the Puerto Rico Tipoff on Nov. 18 with the win, but will face a much tougher test from the Wolverines on Tuesday.
The Wolfpack had won three straight by large margins before losing to Oklahoma State and had scored at least 72 points in each of those contests. The team had a season-low 56 in the loss, including only a combined eight points for Howell and Leslie.
Freshman T.J. Warren is the leading the team in scoring despite coming off the bench, averaging 14.8 points per game. He had 15 points in the loss against Oklahoma State and also added two steals.
Last year NC State finished 24-13 and came in fifth place in the ACC with a 9-7 record in conference play. The team made it to the NCAA tournament, where they defeated San Diego State in the first round 79-65 and Georgetown in the second round 66-63, before losing 60-57 to Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen.
According to the Associated Press, "N.C. State lost 68-61 during its most recent visit to Ann Arbor on Dec. 2, 2003, and is 5-7 all-time in the Challenge. Michigan has a 4-7 mark in the conferences' annual event, and also trails 2/3 in the all-time series with the Wolfpack, but has played four of those games on the road."
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