Five takeaways from Michigan’s Sweet 16 win over Alabama

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CHICAGO — No. 1 seed Michigan beat No. 4 seed Alabama at its own game. Known for their fast pace and high-volume 3-point shooting, the Crimson Tide met their match. The Wolverines didn’t try to slow things down, instead keeping up the pace and fitting within their game, and as a result, they ended up making even more 3-pointers than Alabama.

With contributions from all over the lineup and a style of play that proves Michigan can win in a multitude of different ways, the Wolverines cruised to a single-season program-record 34 wins and their first Elite Eight appearance since 2021.

Here are five takeaways from Michigan’s rout of Alabama.

Trey McKenney continues to show maturity and poise beyond his years

As a freshman coming into the season and given the amount of experience around him on the roster, guard Trey McKenney’s role wasn’t entirely known.

After a stellar regular season, McKenney has found another level since LJ Cason’s ACL injury. He played another terrific postseason game on Friday night, cementing himself as one of the best rotational freshmen in the country.

“I’ve been hearing a lot about like a freshman wall that some guys run into, Trey McKenney, there’s no wall for this guy,” graduate guard Yaxel Lendeborg said. “He’s developed so much this year. He’s always been mature, but just the way he can read the game. … Since L.J. went down, he took that responsibility to be the second point guard on the team and run the show. He did a tremendous job today.”

Off the bench, McKenney played 28 minutes and had 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field and a 4-for-6 mark from deep against the Crimson Tide. McKenney’s maturity and composure to lead the offense when junior guard Elliot Cadeau gets in foul trouble or needs a quick rest are what make him so valuable. And on top of that, he was also tasked with guarding opponents’ top guys, like he did against guard Labaron Philon for Alabama.

“Trey McKenney’s poise for a freshman, his maturity, and then obviously his shot-making and scoring — he did it all,” May said. “We needed it, because it was a game where our frontline didn’t have their best stuff, for whatever reason, and those guys will play much better on Sunday, because they don’t ever have two bad games.”

Whenever called upon this season, McKenney has stepped up. And while coming off the bench for nearly 30 minutes against Alabama, he proved his reliability down the stretch.

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