WASHINGTON -- Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes is among the least surprised that No. 8 seed Michigan will be the No. 2-seeded Badgers' opponent in the Big Ten tournament championship game Sunday.

The moment Hayes learned that Michigan's flight Wednesday ended up in a ditch, forcing an emergency evacuation, he all but predicted this would happen.

"Now, it's like anything they were worried about -- playing well or trying to do this, trying to win a championship, trying to win an NCAA tournament -- it's kind of taken a back seat to the fact that they have their life," Hayes said. "So now it's like, 'Let's just go play basketball.' They're playing probably more relaxed, looser."

Hayes is right.

And it's been evident in every game since the Wolverines' late arrival Thursday morning at the Verizon Center.

Derrick Walton Jr.'s 29 points and nine assists Saturday have Michigan one game away from an improbable Big Ten tourney title. Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

Any college-aged kid who can get past having a wack wardrobe in a very public setting and still focus on the task at hand deserves credit. The Wolverines did so Thursday against Illinois, in a game delayed 20 minutes because they were stuck in traffic. They even wanted to keep playing in those reversible practice jerseys despite their luggage arriving a day later.

Zak Irvin has been the focus of much criticism this season, but none of that was on his mind during his driving basket at the end of regulation that forced overtime in their win over Purdue on Friday.

Then the Wolverines coughed up a 16-point lead Saturday against Minnesota, but kept enough poise to bounce back and win 84-77.

"There's been a theme of thankfulness and just being blessed to have this opportunity," junior Duncan Robinson said. "I think [coach John Beilein] has really embraced it, and I think we all have as well. Thankful to be here and compete for something as special as a Big Ten championship."

2018 Champ Week Coverage • NCAA tournament bracket | PDF | GIF

• Latest Bracketology updates

• Latest Bubble Watch updates

• Champ Week: Brackets, bids and more

• Sign up for Tournament Challenge

• NCAA tournament schedule

• College Basketball Scoreboard

• College Basketball PickCenter

• College Basketball Nation blog

Playing Tournament Challenge? Don't forget to check your brackets! Bracket busted? We have you covered with a Second Chance Bracket!

By and large, they've put trivial matters aside -- even though they need reminders every now and again.

When Minnesota made a run to tie their semifinal matchup, several Michigan players could be seen bickering over defensive assignments and who needed to do what. Beilein called a timeout to settle them down.

"That timeout was nothing about basketball," Beilein said. "We never bicker at each other, and people were yelling at people for not boxing out, people yelling for not defending. So that timeout was 'Guys, we're not going to yell at each other. Here's why we win, because we're connected, and right now, you're disconnected.'"

More often than not during this tournament run of winning three games in three days, Beilein has had to settle the Wolverines down from being too excited. Such was the case in the first half against Minnesota, when center D.J. Wilson stood up cheering his teammate after a made 3-pointer and wandered down the bench as if he were checking back into the game. He was abruptly stopped when assistant coach Jeff Meyer frowned and told him to sit back down.

"Man, I was hype," said Wilson, who added he simply got lost in the moment.

That kind of youthful exuberance, in the aftermath of such a dangerous experience, is making Michigan a very easy team to cheer for, and the players have noticed a difference.

"At times, we're the hated team when we come in town," Irvin said. "It's kind of reverse now. I feel like our crowd has grown, it feels kind of like a home environment here in D.C."

Despite their ordeal to get to the tournament, Michigan is aiming to go back with more luggage than it started the trip with -- including the championship trophy.

"Before we knew what was going to happen last Wednesday, our whole thing was, pack your bags for four days," Beilein said. "I told them I'm bringing four suits. We're going to get this thing done."