May thought his team played hard; he liked their defense, free-throw shooting (17 for 21, including some critical makes), and the fact that had just one turnover in the final five minutes. He credited Oregon’s ever-changing defense for bogging down Michigan’s attack late and praised Will Tschetter for his performance off the bench.

While Purdue was carried by center Zach Edey last season, this year's team is far less imposing in the paint and ranks 134th in rebounding rate. Meanwhile, Michigan is 21st in rebounding rate and is anchored by a pair of seven-footers in Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf.