It wasn't pretty, but they'll take it.

Michigan improved to 5-0 and moved on to the winner's side of the Battle 4 Atlantis bracket with a hard-fought win over a solid Iowa State team. It felt for much of the game like the Wolverines were on the verge of blowing the game open; then they'd give the ball away to the Cyclones.

Zavier Simpson encapsulated the good and bad of today's game. On the positive side of the ledger, he threatened a triple-double with ten points, seven rebounds, and 13 assists. On the negative side, he also threatened a quadruple-double with eight turnovers. Michigan coughed the ball up 22 times as a team compared to only nine for Iowa State; add in a slight rebounding advantage and the Cyclones attempted 17(!) more shots than the Wolverines, usually a recipe for disaster.

But Michigan made just as many shots; each team hit 30, and the Wolverines hit five more three-pointers. Aside from the remarkable Tyrese Haliburton, who posted 25 points, nine boards, and four assists, the Cyclones were limited to jump-shooters, and that's not their strength save for the midrangers Solomon Young knocked down mostly in the first half. Even with foul trouble limiting Jon Teske to 16 minutes, Michigan dissuaded ISU from attacking the paint; they got solid shifts from Colin Castleton and Austin Davis.

On the other end, Simpson ran the show with precision when he wasn't turning it over, if that makes sense. Teske and Castleton benefited on the interior, scoring 11 and ten points, respectively, while going a combined 9-for-13 from the field. Isaiah Livers (17 points, 3/6 threes) and friends reaped the rewards on the perimeter.

One such friend was Franz Wagner, who made his Michigan debut, one delayed by a broken wrist. While Wagner is still getting accustomed to the speed of the game—he missed both two-pointers he attempted and fouled out in in 23 minutes—his talent was apparent. His form looked gorgeous on his three three-point attempts, two of which fell, and he used his length to be a disruptive defender. His presence limited Adrien Nunez to only seven minutes; Nunez, for his part, sunk 1/2 triples.

David DeJulius's role, on the other hand, did not diminish. He continued to be instant offense off the bench, scoring 14 on 5-of-6 shooting in 22 minutes. Eli Brooks had some hairy moments late but added eight points and two assists. Brandon Johns pulled down five boards off the bench.

Michigan faces the winner of UNC/Alabama, happening right now on ESPN, tomorrow at 1:30 pm Eastern. I'll have a preview posted in the morning.

[Hit THE JUMP for the box score.]