When the Michigan men’s basketball team squares off with nearby Concordia on Monday night, don’t expect the game to be close.

After all, the Cardinals (5-4) are an NAIA program, meaning that with just 774 students, their school is too small to be a part of the NCAA. And Concordia is just a middle-of-the-road NAIA team, having already lost to Lourdes College and Michigan-Dearborn.

So the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor certainly represents a monumental step up in competition, even though the Cardinals reside in the same city. And the Wolverines (5-2) are perhaps playing their best basketball of the year, having upset Clemson on the road last Tuesday before coming back to beat a solid Harvard team Saturday.

Michigan sees the game as an opportunity to continue to improve and is trying to treat it like any other game.

“I just want for us all to come out with the same mentality,” sophomore guard Matt Vogrich said after the Harvard win. “Don’t take it for granted and get ahead and just see what happens. Hopefully, everybody can contribute.”

The matchup should provide chances for the Wolverine bench to continue to get vital minutes one game after scoring a season-high 30 points, especially for players like Vogrich and redshirt freshman forward Blake McLimans, who both took steps forward in the victory over Harvard.

Vogrich has a reputation as a sharpshooter but has struggled with his shot in his first two seasons at Michigan. Against Harvard, though, he knocked down both of his attempts from long range, scoring a season-high seven points and also appearing more comfortable defensively.

McLimans, despite only playing seven minutes, made an impact in the victory over the Crimson. With redshirt freshman forward Jordan Morgan struggling to defend Harvard postman Keith Wright, McLimans spelled Morgan early in the second half and promptly slowed Wright down.

The Hamburg, N. Y. native blocked one of Wright’s shots and didn’t let him convert much else down low. McLimans also scored four points, the last two tying the game at 38-38, helping the Wolverines regain momentum in their comeback.

Beilein said after the Harvard game that the big man "played with no baggage," meaning he didn't worry about his performance and was just focused on competing hard.

“(McLimans) needs to just know what it takes to win basketball games,” Beilein said. “But he gave us some length ... (he) was just out there trying to get it done. I was proud of the way he played."

Michigan traditionally plays a Division II team every season. Games against those teams and NAIA squads don’t count against a school’s RPI — meaning there’s a benefit to playing them instead of a lower-level Division-I team that could submarine the Wolverines’ strength of schedule.

And with Concordia allowing Michigan to use its gym when the Wolverines can't use their own during Crisler Arena renovations, as well as the Cardinals' proximity to the University, a matchup with the Cardinals was a perfect fit.

“There are a lot of teams in the state that we could play … We decided that it should be a local team,” Beilein said after the Harvard game. “So it's one day’s rest (after Harvard) and then we have to go play again, so we’ll have to be ready for that. “

Beilein said the team’s upcoming home stretch — including the matchup with the Crimson, the Wolverines will play eight straight and 10 of their next 11 games at Crisler — will be beneficial, especially for the squad's many young players.

But he also warned against complacency.

"You cannot take any team at all for granted,” Beilein said. “We’re going to practice (Sunday). It’s almost an atmosphere like you’re at a tournament. Get a day off, you got to get back, you got to rest some people.”