Michigan hoops downs Providence for fifth-straight win

If a Michigan Basketball team plays on a Sunday afternoon during football season and people forget they are on, did it actually happen?

The answer is yes, and it was another emphatic win for the No. 18 (and surely ascending in the polls) Wolverines, who won their fifth-straight game to start the year in a 66-47 win over Providence at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut to win the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Fame Tip Off tournament after a win over George Washington on Saturday.

Michigan was led by another strong outing from true freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis, who had 20 points. Center Jon Teske scored a career-high 17 of his own in the victory.

This was the fourth time in five games that Michigan held its opponent to under 50 points, which is another indicator of an elite defensive unit that has not only picked up where it left off from last year’s trip to the National Title game, but has improved with the arrow continuing to point upward.

The concern right now remains the struggles of the offense at times, which allowed the Friars to stick around a bit longer than we may have liked to see. There are times where they will fire on all cylinders, but get used to seeing some poor shooting days, too.

Next up for the Wolverines is a Black Friday showdown at Crisler Center with Chattanooga, which is scheduled for a 4 p.m. tipoff.