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U-M dominates UNC, 84-67

No. 7 Michigan blew by No. 11 North Carolina, 84-67, in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday at Crisler Center.
Michigan's Charles Matthews dunks in the first half against North Carolina at Crisler Center, Nov. 28, 2018. Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports

What a statement.

In the biggest non-conference home game in recent memory, No. 7 Michigan blew by No. 11 North Carolina, 84-67, in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday at Crisler Center.

The Wolverines turned around a 10-point first half deficit in the blink of an eye and went into the break with a four-point lead.

The second half was all Michigan. The Wolverines opened up a double-digit lead. Then they pushed that lead to 20.

North Carolina made an 11-0 run and found itself still facing an 11-point deficit. And then Michigan responded, with a quick seven-point spurt.

Ignas Brazdeikis scored a game-high 24 points, and Charles Matthew added 21 points for the Wolverines.

Three takeaways from Michigan's win in Ann Arbor:

Brazdeikis spark plug

Brazdeikis, a freshman forward, made quite the introduction to nearly two dozen NBA scouts.

Brazdeikis picked up an early foul and sat on the bench.

When he re-entered the game, Michigan was down eight. The offense needed life. And that's exactly what Brazdeikis provided.

With the shot clock winding down, he drove in and scored while getting fouled. Then he hit a 3 on the next possession.

He paced Michigan in the first half with 13 points, and finished with 24 on 9-for-13 shooting.

Brazdeikis already had one big game on a national stage, when he scored 18 against Villanova. If people didn't already know his name after that, they should now.

Defense adjusts

North Carolina is one of the fastest teams in the nation. The Tar Heels opened up their initial lead by getting out on the break and scoring before Michigan's defense was set.

The Wolverines adjusted.

And North Carolina had no answer.

After getting to 21 points and a 10-point lead with 12:47 left in the first half, North Carolina scored 14 the rest of the half.

When the second half began, the Tar Heels struggled to even find a shot. The Wolverines didn't allow them to get out in transition and suffocated North Carolina's halfcourt offense.

Michigan's defense has been the best in the nation so far this season. It just added another notch on the belt by dismantling one of the country's most explosive — and talented — teams.

Poole turns it on

Sophomore guard Jordan Poole hasn't had the greatest start to the season. He didn't have a great start Wednesday night, either.

Poole scored 3 points on 1-for-5 shooting in the first half. He missed a layup. He had a 3 roll around the rim and come back out. He missed the front end of a one-and-one.

The second half? A completely different story.

In the final 20 minutes, Poole lit it up, scoring 15 points to finish with 18 for the game. He made 4-for-5 attempts from 3, including one in the left corner after a pretty jab step. It was an impressive bounce-back after a cold first half.

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