It started out competitively enough. Michigan and Tennessee played most of the first half like a typical 8/9 matchup, with neither team getting larger than a six point lead. That’s the advantage Tennessee held with seven minutes left in the first half--to that point, the Wolverines had clanked their way to a 35.4 effective field goal percentage and had struggled to stop Tennessee freshman Tobias Harris inside. Jordan Morgan and Tim Hardaway Jr. had two fouls apiece. John Beilein could have been forgiven for being a bit worried.

 

From there, however, things got a lot more fun for Michigan. The Wolverines hit seven of their next 12 shots, including two threes, to take a four point lead into halftime. It was a nice run, keyed by Matt Vogrich, but this was still anybody’s game.

 

After the break, Michigan exploded. The Wolverines opened the second half on a 19-2 run and kept their feet on the gas the rest of the way for a 75-45 trouncing. In the second half, Michigan shot 71 percent on twos and 55 percent on threes, driving them to a 1.36 efficiency without the benefit of a free throw. This was Beilein Ball at its finest.

 

Perhaps more impressive was the defensive effort after the break. In catchup mode, Tennessee was relegated to hoisting shot after shot from deep, and they made just 14 percent of them. More importantly, Michigan forced turnovers on nearly a third of Tennessee’s second half possessions. It was just an unreal performance, and the Volunteers were held to 0.52 points per trip in the second half. For the full game, Tennessee was held to a 0.71 efficiency, easily their lowest output of the season. The Volunteers faced a long list of good defenses this season--Pitt, Connecticut, Belmont, USC, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky--and none of them stopped Tennessee as well as Michigan just did. These Wolverines have proven their defensive prowess down the stretch in a big way.

 

Seven Wolverines scored at least eight points apiece, led by Zack Novak’s 14-10 double-double. Darius Morris posted 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists, while Stu Douglass put up 11 points, 5 assists, and just 1 turnover.

 

As their reward, the Wolverines moved onto to Sunday's matchup with the Duke Blue Devils. Michigan hung right with the defending national champions for the entire first half, using the standard Beilein Ball formula (low turnovers, lots of threes) to score 1.10 points per possession heading into the break. Michigan's offense was working against one of the nation's best defensive teams. Unfortunately, Duke was dominating in every other facet of the game, shooting 91 percent on twos and rebounding 42 percent of their misses. It was enough to give the Blue Devils a four point halftime lead.

 
 

Over the first 10 minutes of the second half, Duke took complete control of the game. A lead that had temporarily gotten as small as two points ballooned to 15. From there, Michigan wouldn't give up, and they chipped away at that lead until they were within eight with just over three minutes remaining. It would still take a phenomenal effort to win this game, but at least the Wolverines had kept contact.

 
 

From there, Tim Hardaway Jr. tried to provide that phenomenal effort, scoring seven straight points to make it a one point game with 1:28 remaining. On the ensuing possession, Duke missed a three but retained possession, leading to a made Kyrie Irving jumper. Michigan had the ball, down three, with 32 seconds remaining.

 
 

Darius Morris would make a layup to bring the lead back down to a point, and Duke's Nolan Smith made only one of two free throws at the other end. As the clock ran down, Morris drove into the lane and got a great look at a game-tying shot, but missed it. Duke retrieved the rebound and Michigan's season ended with a 73-71 loss.

 
 

The impressive result here was how effective Michigan's offense was against Duke. For the game, the Wolverines scored 1.16 points per possession--only St. John's hung a better output on the Blue Devils this season. It was true to form for John Beilein's better offensive teams, with a tiny turnover rate, fair enough three-point accuracy (33 percent), and a high conversion rate on twos (63 percent).

 
 

Five Wolverines finished in double figures, led by Morris' 16 points and 6 assists. Hardaway scored 15 points on 12 shots, and Evan Smotryczchipped in 13 points on 7 hoists.

 
 

Despite the loss, the season has to be considered an overwhelming success for Beilein and his team. Michigan had lost two all-conference type performers in Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims, yet got a lot better at both ends. There's already a lot of talk about Michigan being the early favorite for the 2011-12 Big Ten title--understandably so, as the Wolverines don't figure to lose anyone off this roster. That may be a bit premature--remember, this team finished with a negative efficiency margin in conference play--but the future is definitely bright in Ann Arbor.