LOS ANGELES — Michigan slogged through the opening weekend of the N.C.A.A. tournament with offensive output below its usual standards.
After grinding out 61 points against Montana and 64 against Houston, the Wolverines went into Thursday’s game needing to find some oomph against Texas A&M, the nation’s fourth-most efficient defense, according to the analytics website KenPom.
That did not prove to be an issue.
No. 3 Michigan lit up the seventh-seeded Aggies (22-13) with 52 first-half points — greatly helped by the Wolverines’ 10-for-16 shooting on 3-pointers — and cruised to a 99-72 victory.
Once the score was out of hand, Michigan’s third-ranked defense clamped down, and there was little suspense to the outcome in the West Regional semifinal at Staples Center.