PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas—Michigan entered the Battle for Atlantis here unranked and an after- thought as North Carolina, Gonzaga, Oregon and Seton Hall commanded most of the pre-tournament attention.

But the Big Ten Wolverines have forced their way into the national conscience defeating Gonzaga, 82-64, to win the best eight team tournament in the country.

Who does that to the Zags?

“I’m sure we’re on the map,’’ Michigan’s first year coach Juwan Howard said after he celebrated with his players, laying down some dance steps after the blowout. “When you are beating teams like Iowa State and North Carolina and Gonzaga, you are no longer under the radar.’’

Howard was a star on Michigan’s Fab Five in the early 1990’s who spent 25 years as a player and coach in the NBA. He is still connected to most of the players on that Final Four team and just spoke to Chris Webber on Thanksgiving. This week was Howard’s first big moment as a college coach after replacing iconic John Beilein, who left to take the head coaching job with the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers. He passed with flying colors. He has his staff– associate head coach Phil Martelli, who had spent 24 years as a head coach at St. Joseph’s; and assistants Saddi Washington and Howard Eisley—have done a great job interacting with this team, which lost three starters; and transformed the Wolverines into a fundamentally sound players’ team.

“I am just so proud of this group and how they competed throughout the weekend,’’ Howard said. “We are family, which is one thing we always stress. There are no egos. We push one another on the staff. So, if the players see that in the leadership, why not fall in line?  We’re a connected group, and this is a great example of us being connected and being all in.’’

The Wolverines suddenly look like one of the most complete teams in the country after beating two Top 10 teams—sixth-ranked North Carolina and eighth-ranked Gonzaga. They have two quality point guards—senior Zavier Simpson and sophomore David DiJulius; a future NBA center in 7-1 senior Jon Teske, who may be the most improved player in the country; four legitimate three-point shooters in DiJulius, junior wing Isaiah Livers, junior guard Eric Brooks and Teske; and a versatile 6-9 freshman power forward Franz Wagner. They have exceptional basketball IQ and terrific chemistry at both ends of the floor.

“We’re having fun together,’’ Teske said. “We’re sharing the ball. We know where we’re going to be on the court at all times.’’

Teske scored 19 points—13 in the first half and grabbed 15 rebounds. He was named the tournament’s MVP. Livers, who scored a game high 21 points, joined Teske on the All-Tournament team, along with 6-11 forward Filip Petrusev of Gonzaga, Oregon point guard Payton Pritchard and Seton Hall pre-season All- America guard Myles Powell. Simpson, who Gonzaga coach Mark Few called “the ultimate maestro” had two games with 13 assists apiece and could have easily made the team, too.

“Most coaches want to control the game as much as possible, but we are lucky enough to have a coaching staff where they allow us to get on the run and take open shots,’’ Livers said.

The Wolverines, who went on a 19-0 run against Carolina in the semi-finals, used another offensive explosion to put away the Zags. Leading just 38-36, Michigan scored on 10 consecutive possessions, using exceptional ball movement to constantly get open shots to take a 62-43 lead midway through the second half.

Gonzaga never got the lead below double figures again. Forward Killian Tillie scored 20 points for the Zags, who dealt with injury concerns throughout the tournament and couldn’t deal with the Wolverines’ sizzling 14 of 16 shooting during that stretch. Michigan shot 54 percent, including 12-for-23 from three- point range. “Every time we made a mental breakdown, ‘’ Few said. “They literally made us pay on every one of our assignment that we screwed up—a switch or we screwed up a coverage. And they made us pay, so they deserve a lot of credit for that.’’

If Michigan, which plays potential No. 1 Louisville on the road Tuesday, jumps into the AP Top 10 this week, the Wolverines would be the sixth team since the poll expanded to 25 teams in 1989-90 to go from unranked one week to the Top 10 the next. The last previous instance was the 2010-2011 Connecticut team, which jumped to No. 7 after winning the Maui Invitational. The Huskies went on to win the national championship.

The Battle 4 Atlantis plans to double the fun in 2020, as the inaugural women’s tournament will be held Nov.21-23, the weekend before the men’s tournament. The women’s field will consist of South Carolina, Oregon, Central Michigan, Marquette, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Florida and Syracuse. The 2020 men’s bracket will consist of Duke, Creighton, Memphis, Ohio State, Texas A & M, Utah, West Virginia and Wichita State.