Takeaways from Michigan basketball's blowout win over Villanova

No. 2 Michigan basketball continued its winning ways with an 89-61 victory over Villanova on Tuesday night at the Crisler Center in front of a sold out crowd to move to 9-0 on the season.

Here are a few takeaways from the win.

Defensive intensity remains relentless

Considering how well the Wolverines played on both ends of the floor in Las Vegas in the Players Era Festival a couple of weeks back, it would be natural for Michigan to let down just a little bit being they were nearly flawless over those three days.

However, after another 40-point victory over Rutgers on Saturday, the Wolverines continued to put the pressure on Villanova on Tuesday night and played to an incredibly high standard on both ends of the floor, but particularly on defense.

Right from the jump, the Wolverines applied immense ball pressure to Villanova's guards, and even when the Wildcats were able to penetrate into the paint, the likes of Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara were right there to wall off drives and impact shots.

Dec 9, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) celebrates after he dunks in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Coming into the game, guard Bryce Lindsay was leading the Wildcats in scoring at over 18 points per game, but Michigan slowed him down and held Lindsay to just three points on 1-of-5 shooting.

Villanova's only real production in the scoring department came from Devin Askew, who scored 18 off the bench but needed 16 shots to get those points.

Efficient offense without lighting it up from 3

There have been games where the Wolverines have been hot from the three-point line, which has at times played a role in them pulling away in certain matchups.

On Tuesday, however, Dusty May's team didn't light it up from three-point range as they ended up at just 9-of-33 (27%) from three.

The fact that Michigan could still light it up from an efficency standpoint with lighting it up from the peremiter shows just how diverse the Wolverines are on offense and how many different ways they can score.

At one point in the first half, Michigan had a 20-0 edge in points in the paint and outscored the Wildcats in that department 46-10 for the game. That's a product of the big men working hard inside, but also shows the willingness of players like Roddy Gayle Jr. Elliot Cadeau, LJ Cason, Nimari Burnett, Yaxel Lendeborg and others to get to the basket off the bounce themselves.

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Overall, Michigan only had two players score in double figures with Cadaeua scoring 18 and Mara adding 11, but the Wolverines had six more players score seven points or more and got 39 points from its bench.

Deep bench players continue to get minutes

As Michigan continues to blow teams out, more minutes continue to become available for players outside the normal rotation, which also allows for plenty of rest for the starters and bench players who rotate in.

Winters Grady would likely be seeing a lot more minutes if the team wasn't so deep, but one of the teams' better sharpshooters was still able to get in the game and knock down a three-pointer late.

Malick Kordel also got in the game for Michigan and finished a dunk inside, while Oscar Goodman and Howard Eisley Jr. also saw minutes.

Dec 9, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Trey McKenney (1) shoots in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

It remains to be seen how long Michigan can continue to win by such large margins, but for the time being, it's nice to see some of these players ger valuable game minutes when they otherwise would not if the margins were closer.

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