Takeaways From Michigan's Explosive Second Half to Beat Alabama in the Sweet 16

The Wolverines are moving into the Elite 8.

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It appeared Michigan was going to struggle playing with Alabama and its speed. The Crimson Tide got out to a quick 11-2 lead and Alabama was scorching hot from the three. The Tide shoots the most threes out there, and does so well. But once the flip switched, it was all Michigan.

The Wolverines trailed 49-47 at the half and whatever halftime speech Dusty May gave the Maize and Blue — it worked. Michigan came out with new life and Bama struggled to keep up with the Wolverines.

Michigan will move on to the Elite 8 following a 90-77 win over the Crimson Tide. Here are some takeaways from Michigan's win.

Second half explosion

The Wolverines were trying to play Alabama's game in the first half. Michigan was playing too fast for its own good, making it a running contest with the Tide, who love to play that way. But the second half was Michigan's.

The Wolverines opted to continue to play Aday Mara, who really struggled in the first half, keeping up with Alabama. But Michigan chose to slow down the pace, play more half-court sets, and allow the ball to go through its stars. It worked to perfection.

Michigan outscored Alabama, 43-28, in the second half. Yaxel Lendeborg, Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney, and Roddy Gayle all had a great offensive half for the Wolverines, while Aday Mara settled in nicely and helped on the defensive end.

The Wolverines also outshot Alabama from three, 42-22% in the second half. Shooting the long ball is Alabama's bread and butter, but the Maize and Blue were able to beat the Tide at their own game.

The Yax show

For the second game in a row, the Big Ten Player of the Year dominated. Yaxel Lendeborg was extremely passive in the first round against Howard, but Lendeborg hasn't held back in wins over Saint Louis and Alabama.

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With some extra motivation against Alabama, Lendeborg led Michigan, scoring 23 points, adding 12 rebounds, and dishing out seven assists.

Once Alabama got out to a hot start, Michigan needed someone to step up and keep it in the game. That guy was Lendeborg, who continued to hit big shots to keep the Wolverines in the game. He was perfect in the first half, scoring 12 points.

Trey McKenney, Roddy Gayle Jr. erupt off the bench

Since L.J. Cason suffered a torn ACL against Illinois, the talk has been — when will the Wolverines' bench struggle without Cason? The sophomore guard was playing like the best backup point guard in the nation and clearly, Michigan would love to have him in these games.

But players keep stepping up. In this game, it was Trey McKenney and Roddy Gayle Jr. who helped will the Wolverines to a win. The Maize and Blue had 33 bench points and McKenney's 17 and Gayle's 16 points were the bench points.

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Alabama played a fast-paced style and the Wolverines' big lineup struggled to keep up — more on that later — so coach May relied on a smaller lineup in this one. McKenney and Gayle stepped up and hit some big-time shots, along with playing good transition defense against the Crimson Tide.

If Michigan can continue to get this kind of production out of these two, the Wolverines will be a very tough out.

Michigan's bigs struggled with pace

Michigan's three bigs have been the engine for the Wolverines' offense this season, but this was not one of those games. In fact, it might have been the worst game of Aday Mara and Morez Johnson's Michigan career together.

Neither player appeared to be in sync in the first half, and Alabama's fast pace was too much for the big 7'3" Mara. He was gassed, making errant passes, and struggled to defend. As for Johnson, he appeared to be in his own head, making critical errors, and missing free throws down the stretch.

But that's why this is a team game, and both Trey McKenney and Roddy Gayle Jr. stepped in when needed. Both Mara and Johnson have been extremely valuable to this team this season, and Michigan will look to get them going in the Elite Eight.