Following a win like Michigan had on Sunday night against Western Kentucky, I could lead with a bunch of different numbers.

Start with the score itself, Michigan putting up 112 points the most this century for the program,

or a program record tying 19 triples, or six guys in double figures, nine at seven points or more.

But I'll lead with this collection of numbers.

101 to 53, 94 to 67, 72 to 49, 89, 89 to 58, and 112 to 64.

Those are Michigan's five wins and the scores of those games in their five buy games.

Games where Michigan welcomes a non-power conference team to Ann Arbor. Wolverines pay that

program. It helps fund their program. And it's a no-win situation in a lot of cases other than

the tally in the win column if you get it done. If you win, it's a no-win situation in a lot of cases other than the tally in the win column

if you get it done. If you win, it's expected, even in these last couple of games, with Purdue,

Fort Wayne and Western Kentucky very much being, respectively, Horizon League and Conference

USA contenders, Western won the league last year. They could be NCAA tournament teams.

But if you win it, it's status quo.

It's expected.

If you lose it, people wonder what the heck happened?

What's the trajectory of the program?

How will they move on from this?

And it certainly is a sore eye come selection Sunday if you're fortunate enough to be in that

conversation.

Michigan was not last year.

It was an 8 and 24 season.

And the way that this season has gone, it has been pretty easy for fans to forget about

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