ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan is 13-0 and ranked second in the country, but everyone involved in the program was saying the same thing Saturday night.
None of that matters now that the Big Ten season has arrived.
"We know that, from here on in, there's going to be a huge target on our back every night," said Trey Burke, who had 22 points and 11 assists in Michigan's 88-73 win over Central Michigan. "This is one of the best conferences in the country, and we have to be ready every night.
"We start out with Northwestern, Iowa and Nebraska, and those might be teams that are under people's radar, but we need to treat them like Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan State. That's how tough this conference is."
Michigan didn't get the best news going into Big Ten play, with Tim Hardaway Jr. missing the Central Michigan game due to an ankle injury.
"We're not exactly sure what is going on, but we were being cautious with the Big Ten schedule coming up," Michigan coach John Beilein said. "We don't play again until Thursday (at Northwestern), so we're going to give him as much rest as possible and then see where he is closer to game time."
Burke, though, was more optimistic about Hardaway's short-term diagnosis.
"No one has told me anything official, but I'm pretty sure it is just a bone bruise and not a big deal," he said. "I'm sure he'll play on Thursday."
That would be a relief for Beilein, who had to start three freshmen — Glenn Robinson III, Nik Stauskas and Caris LeVert — against Central Michigan. He was happy with their play — they combined for 48 points — but concerned about their lack of experience in conference play. It doesn't help that another freshman, Mitch McGary, is currently Michigan's sixth man.
"Things are about to change for those kids," Beilein said. "The intensity, the players, the coaching — the Big Ten is the best of the best every night.
"We've been telling the freshmen what to expect, but there's no way we can prepare them for the Big Ten season until they actually get a chance to play those games."
The "kids" have been warned, both by Beilein and their teammates, but Stauskas acknowledges that he's not sure what to expect for the next 18 games.
"Everyone has told us how tough it is going to be, but it is still new for us," Stauskas said. "I know it is going to be a grind every night, though.
"We've had some blowouts in the preseason, but that's not going to happen in the Big Ten. Coach keeps telling us that we're playing against anybody in our conference, we should expect the game to go down to the last five seconds. He says that there are going to be a lot of times where the last ball in the air is going to decide who wins."
For LeVert, the adjustment is even more intense. He spent the first month of the season in street clothes, expecting to be sitting out a redshirt season. Now, after a change in plans and Hardaway's injury, he finds himself playing 32 minutes as a starter.
"It has been a lot of fun to get out there and play," LeVert said. "But I know it is going to get harder once we start playing Big Ten games.
"Tonight was my first start and my first chance to play this many minutes. I thought I did a good job, but now I've got to be ready to do it against Big Ten teams."
As for Robinson, well, he looks at things a little differently. As the son of a Big Ten legend and someone who has been groomed for stardom his whole life, he doesn't get nervous about much of anything.
"This is the same game I was playing in high school and the same game I've been playing my whole life," he said after scoring 20 points against the Chippewas. "Obviously, the competition is going to be the best I've ever faced.
"But all I want to do is go out there and play basketball, just like I always do. That's my life, and I'm ready for this."
Burke, the old man of the group as a sophomore, thinks they will be ready.
"We were a little inexperienced tonight, and I'm sure Caris was nervous, but we got through it," Burke said. "Coach does a great job of getting us used to playing in different groups, so I've had time with the other four freshmen, or with our two-post offense, or with a bunch of other groups.
"We know what to expect, and those guys have gotten a lot of experience."
Will it be enough? They get their first answer on Thursday.
