On the short drive back from Detroit on Tuesday night, I was reflecting back on some of the conversations

I had with a few members of the Michigan staff during the spring, including head coach

Dusty May, talking about the Yaxel-Lendaborg decision. They really couldn't mention Yax by name

in this portion of the calendar, but Yax had committed to Michigan, but was still going through

that NBA draft process. And the likes of Coach May, Mike Boynton, Jr. and others said,

yeah, we built a roster that we feel could be still pretty darn good, very competitive,

if Yax decided to go pro.

And while it did seem, in my interactions in the spring, like there was a solid to strong belief that Yax would indeed come to Ann Arbor, there was, I felt, a similar confidence that

if Yaxel did go pro, there would be a strong chance Michigan could field a highly competitive roster.

And through two games, you're seeing why, in particular, with the two other starting front-core players on Tuesday.

Now, mind you, we'll talk about some of the things Michigan needs to improve upon because this was a game.

Michigan was expected to win by a lot more than it did a single tally.

But in terms of what Michigan showcased for the first time on Tuesday night,

that three big look, Yax at the three, Mores Johnson Jr. at the four and a dimara at the five.

But of course, Mores was the best individual performer of many in the

opener against Oakland, 20 points in the first half tying a career high. He showcased

at least a bigger portion of his bag than what he had in his freshman year. And on Tuesday,

the biggest reason Michigan won was the biggest reason Michigan had 7 foot 3

Adymarra. He only had two double doubles in his time at UCLA. He only knows double doubles

here at Michigan. These are no cheapies in the box score. 18 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists,

5 blocks on Tuesday, all while being a catalyst

defensively all the way until that final shot at the end of overtime.

...