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Michigan sophomore Caris LeVert and freshman Zak Irvin smile as they leave the court after an NCAA tournament practice at Bradley Center last Wednesday.

(Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News)

ANN ARBOR -- Michigan coach John Beilein has spent 36 years around 36 individual teams in his career as a college coach.

His latest team -- the 2013-14 Wolverines -- is his most tight-knit.

“They’re engaged and they really, really like each other,” Beilein said Monday night during his weekly radio show on WTKA-FM (1050). “This team is as close as any team I’ve ever had. They’re loose and they're having fun.”

And they’re one of only 16 teams left standing this season.

Michigan, the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA tournament, will face No. 11 seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Indianapolis (7:15 p.m., TV: CBS).

With the Wolverines having only two upperclassmen, senior Jordan Morgan and Jon Horford, Beilein credited his younger players for Michigan’s team unity.

“Caris (LeVert), Zak Irvin and Derrick (Walton Jr.), three of the youngest players, even though Caris is a sophomore, are extremely close and really have a good time together and they bring everybody else with them,” Beilein said. “Zak and Derrick are always cutting up on each other and they’re funny and so everybody sort of picks up on that.”

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Having played five games since March 14, Beilein told his players that “everybody must take the day off” on Tuesday, but has limited expectations.

“I know they won’t. They’ll come over,” Beilein said. “I said, ‘If you come over, foul shots only. I don’t want you shooting 100 jump shots tomorrow, just foul shots.’”

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Stauskas did plenty of shooting on Monday.

Assigned to make 36 3-pointers in a three-minute span using two balls, the sophomore made quick work of the job.

“He went 36 for 37,” Beilein said.

That efficiency blew the three-minute goal away. He was done in one and half minutes, according to Beilein.

“It was incredible,” Beilein said. “Boom, boom, boom, boom -- over and over again. Of course I got upset with him over the one miss.”

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Once Michigan arrives in Indianapolis, an inevitable storyline will be how the team will handle shooting in Lucas Oil Stadium.

With an elevated floor and seats sprawling straight back from the basket, the 67,000-seat football stadium will present a difficult backdrop for the Wolverines’ jump shooters.

Michigan dealt with stadium-style shooting in the 2013 NCAA tournament. It played Sweet 16 and Elite Eight contests at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and the Final Four at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The Wolverines shot 40.5 percent on 3-point attempts in the four games, going 34-for-84.

"I thought we'd have an issue with it (last year), but we didn't,” Beilein said.

Brendan F. Quinn covers University of Michigan basketball. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on Wolverines hoops. He can be contacted at bquinn@mlive.com