The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team stayed undefeated (2-0) on Wednesday, narrowly squeaking out a hard-fought 85-84 overtime win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. After the game, Michigan head coach Dusty May chalked the gritty win up to three major factors.
“We played with a lot of heart, toughness and togetherness,” May said after the game, per On3's Anthony Broome.
While heart, toughness, and togetherness surely played a role, so did center Aday Mara, who put up 18 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists in the winning effort. Former North Carolina guard Elliott Cadeau added 17 points, right rebounds, and seven assists in the winning effort.
The victory will keep the No. 6 team in the land in the top 10 as they prepare for a tough stretch of their pre-Big Ten schedule. In the coming days, the Michigan basketball team will face TCU, Middle Tennessee, San Diego State, and No. 22 Auburn. If Dusty May and company can stay unbeaten through that stretch, Michigan will have a real chance to climb to the top of the polls, depending on how the teams ahead of them—Houston, Purdue, UConn, Duke, and Arizona—fare in the next two weeks.
As for Wake Forest, the OT loss was their first of the season. The ACC squad looked tough and balanced, getting 19 points from sophomore guard Juke Harris. Mekhi Mason (16), Myles Colvin (13), and Nate Calmese (11) all also finished with double-digit points.
Next up for the Deamon Deacons is another tough test against No. 11 Texas Tech. After that, the team gets a bit of a break, though, playing Campbell and Northeastern.
