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No. 7 Michigan Blasts San Diego State by 40 to Open Players Era Festival

The rout highlighted a defense that steers teams into mid‑range looks, boosting seeding under the event’s point‑differential rules.

Overview

  • Michigan improved to 5-0 with a 94-54 win, featuring six scorers in double figures led by Yaxel Lendeborg’s 15 points plus 13 each from Morez Johnson Jr. and Elliot Cadeau.
  • The Wolverines held San Diego State to roughly 27% shooting and forced 17 turnovers, dominating the paint 38-12 and the glass 49-34.
  • Coach Dusty May’s scheme emphasized rim protection and scrambling coverage to funnel the Aztecs into low-value mid-range shots and floaters.
  • Under the Players Era Festival format, seeding tiebreakers cap point differential at +20 with total points next, making Michigan’s 94-point output meaningful despite the margin limit.
  • Next up is No. 21 Auburn in Las Vegas, a rematch of last season’s Sweet 16 in which the Tigers eliminated Michigan.