ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Early on Saturday morning, I sat at a blackjack table at one of the many casinos along the boardwalk in this oceanside resort. Rava, our dealer, had just replaced Stevie, who had been dealing very good hands.

Well, that’s what I was told, because honestly I had no idea what I was doing. I’d never gambled before, and for the most part, I was just listening to the people around me as to whether I should tap the table with my middle finger or slice the air with my hand (those blackjack savants out there know this as ‘hitting’ or ‘standing’).

At my best, I was up $65 and I should've taken a hint when the high-roller at our table walked away after Rava dealt some pretty awful hands. The table had gone cold and I began to loose what I'd gained.

I stepped away after having broken even, which apparently is an accomplishment in itself when it comes to things like gambling. Or as it turns out ... basketball.

Now, I understand that for most Michigan men’s basketball fans, this weekend won’t look like much of an accomplishment. The Legends Classic will be remembered as the event where the Wolverines got their first two losses of the season, where they spent their Thanksgiving breaks, where UTEP dunked on them five times, where they finished fourth — out of four.

But, honestly, it was about time they got beat. And I don’t mean that in a vengeful sort of way. I mean that there’s only so much to learn when you’re defeating teams like Bowling Green and Gardner-Webb by 20. It was about time a group of players that really challenged Michigan was added to the Wolverines’ learning curve and I think the shoreline tourney did just that. A three-point loss to No. 9 Syracuse and a nine-point loss to UTEP mean more for the growth of the Wolverines than any other victory on Michigan's schedule so far this season.

These young players needed to face an opponent that forced them to examine — in game play — every single decision they were making, a team that pushed the Wolverines to play at a higher level, a team that offered certain challenges Michigan just can’t duplicate in practice.

Because in practice, who can fight Jordan Morgan for every single inch of post position every single time down the floor? What scout team can play as devastating a 2-3 zone like Syracuse's, only to provide an encore the next day with a suffocating UTEP man-to-man defense? And who on Michigan's practice squad can outrun, out-shoot, out-score, out-muscle, out-everything the Wolverines — Who can force the best to become better?

Yes, the two losses were ugly. But with them come innumerable lessons. Take the good with the bad and realize that what they learned this weekend will benefit them down the road.

Morgan fighting three massive players from the ninth-ranked Orange will only make his battle with the Morris twins (6-foot-9 Marcus and 6-foot-10 Markieff) from No. 6 Kansas more bearable come January. He’ll be able to match up with them, knowing he’s bodied up against players just as good earlier in the season.

When Stu Douglass gets ready to play in East Lansing later that month, he can look back at his game against UTEP’s Randy Culpepper (reigning Conference-USA Player of the Year) as a warm-up to defending the second-ranked Spartans’ Kalin Lucas.

And when Michigan faces No. 3 Ohio State or No. 15 Minnesota, sophomore Darius Morris will be more prepared to read whatever defense they throw at him because he’s seen defensive sets that are longer and quicker.

So yes, the Wolverines went 0-2 this weekend. And yes, a Legends Classic Championship would have looked much better. But that didn’t happen. So don’t dwell on it, because Michigan will learn more from this pair of losses than any major win over a small school. Syracuse and UTEP are two very good teams. And for what the two losses took from Michigan’s record book, they also gave back in early-season experience that will undoubtedly pay off as the season progresses.

Breaking even, now that’s something to be thankful for.