BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Howard coach Kenny Blakeney had a blast the last time he saw Michigan play.
Following the Bison’s home win against North Carolina Central on Feb. 21, Blakeney and his family ventured over to Capital One Arena in Washington to catch Michigan’s highly anticipated showdown against Duke, which the Blue Devils won 68-63.
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“I was there as a fan cheering my brains out, enjoying my day, and just kind of taking it all in to be a fan,” Blakeney said Wednesday, recalling his laidback mood in having enjoyed a few tequilas and a couple of cigars before the game. “I saw they were big as hell. I was really impressed how fast they were in transition.”
It will be all business for Blakeney and his MEAC champion Bison on Thursday. That’s when Howard (24-10) gets an up-close look at just how big and fast the Wolverines (31-3) are in facing the Midwest Region’s top-seeded team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s going to be certainly a challenge, but I think we’ll have fun trying to figure out the puzzle,” he said.
In the Midwest’s only other game of the day, eighth-seeded Georgia (22-10) plays No. 9 seed Saint Louis (28-5).
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Howard is coming off its first NCAA Tournament victory after holding off a frantic rally to beat UMBC 86-83 in a First Four matchup at Dayton, Ohio, on Tuesday night.
For the Bison, this marks just their fifth tournament appearance, and third in Blakeney’s seven seasons.
Michigan, by comparison, is making its 33rd tournament appearance, and fourth as a No. 1 seed. The Wolverines feature size in 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara and 6-9 forwards Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr., and plenty of speed and play-making ability in guards Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney.
Michigan is coming off a dominant season in which it went 9-2 against ranked opponents, including a 101-61 rout of Gonzaga in November. And the Wolverines’ only two losses since mid-January came against Duke and an 80-72 defeat against Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament championship game Sunday.
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Lendeborg chalked up the most recent loss to the Wolverines being “jittery” to start the second half, and something the team needs to learn from.
“We’ve got to maintain our composure, stay together like we have been all year, and do whatever we can to make sure that we all play together,” he said.
Second-year coach Dusty May pushed back on a question about the team experiencing jitters, suggesting the Boilermakers were instead more determined.
“Their want-to was greater than ours on that day,” May said.
The Wolverines can’t afford a similar letdown moving forward, especially with a roster filled with transfer-portal additions that’s built to win now.
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“Everybody is a threat,” said Lendeborg, who transferred to Michigan following two seasons at UAB.
“I’ve been in that predicament before when I was a mid-major. We’re going to go in there with nothing to lose, so we’re going to play our hearts out. And no matter what happens, we’re happy we made it,” he added. “Being on this side now, I don’t want to lose if this is going to be my last college game ever.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
