The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1083898
MARCH 2019 THE WOLVERINE 83 sage to him would be the same as it's always been. "I don't tell anybody that they're done shooting," he said. "I basically look at how a team is guarding us and what's the best action we can run. "If we're running things with cer- tain people, and it's not getting done — either it's not his day or we're un- der-rating his defender — we have to move to match the defense." IT'S ANYBODY'S CHAMPIONSHIP Odds are Poole will snap out of his shooting slump and that the Wolver- ines have better offensive days ahead of them. Even when they don't, how- ever, they've got a defense they can win with, as long as they excel in the effort areas. Purdue's Matt Painter, a candidate for Big Ten Coach of the Year, said it best when he was asked what it would take to win a title with guys who weren't as highly rated as others around the league. "We have the ability not to turn the ball over," he said. "We have the ability to play hard, to play together. That's the beauty of basketball. The sum is better than the parts. "… Sometimes in recruiting or how people gauge you or rank you, they don't look at [less obvious win- ning traits] because they're not sexy. I couldn't care less. I want guys who can take care of the basketball, make their free throws, make threes …" And who are winners. All three teams at the top have them. For Mich- igan, junior point guard Zavier Simp- son is limited shooting the ball, but he's averaging six assists per game and defends like there's no tomorrow. Redshirt junior Charles Matthews is the same, and MSU has plenty of guys who look like role players but excel through hard work. The team that does it best down the stretch will be bringing home the hardware in early March. Chances are there could be more than just one. ❏ Michigan found its rhythm offensively during last year's Big Ten Tournament, but used defense to make a run to the Final Four. The Wolverines will need success at both ends to advance in the NCAA Tournament, but it's possible. Here are three keys to more postseason success for head coach John Beilein and his team. 1. Shoot the ball a little better. Two or three more triples made per game raise the percentage enough to make games a bit more comfortable. Combined with smothering defense, it will make the Wolverines an extremely tough out when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. After an 0-for-3 showing from three-point range at home against Maryland in mid-February, sophomore guard Jordan Poole was a combined 3 of 17 from deep over his last three games. As a result, his three-point percentage has dipped to 38 percent — he's more than capable of much better than that, and U-M's fate could hinge on him finding his stroke. The good news: elite shooting from three-point range isn't a necessity to make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. According to TheWolverine.com contributor Jeff Schiller, there were 11 teams in the past 10 years that have reached the Final Four shooting worse from three-point range than U-M's collective 34.3 percent as of Feb. 18: South Carolina, 2017 (33.4 percent) North Carolina, 2016 (32.7) Louisville, 2013 (33.0) Syracuse, 2013 (33.4) Wichita State, 2013 (33.9) Ohio State, 2012 (33.4) Louisville, 2012 (31.8) Connecticut, 2011 (32.9) Butler, 2010 (34.2) West Virginia, 2010 (33.7) Connecticut, 2009 (34.1) Additional teams that reached the Final Four shooting less than 36 percent from long range, which would place them outside the top 100 in the country in three-point percentage: Michigan, 2018 (35.2) North Carolina, 2017 (35.5) Kentucky, 2015 (34.9) Florida, 2014 (35.9) Kansas, 2012 (34.5) Butler, 2010 (35.2) Michigan State, 2010 (34.4) Michigan State, 2009 (35.4) Villanova 2009 (35.2) In sum, 11 of the 40 teams that have made the Final Four since 2009, or just over one a year, have shot worse from long range than Michigan. Another nine (just under one a year) shot less than 36 percent from three-point territory. That's fully half of the teams that made the Final Four that were mediocre (or worse) three-point shooting teams. 2. Stay out of foul trouble and injury free. Especially junior big man Jon Teske, who has earned praise as one of the best defensive big men in the country. Teske is regularly one of Michigan's best plus/minus play- ers on the floor, one of the measures of success on both ends, and it's a different team when he's not there to protect the rim. Iowa got him in early foul trouble in its win in Iowa City, for example, and the Wolverines never recovered in a 15-point loss. Teske dominated defensively in a 65-52 win over Maryland and future NBA center Bruno Fernando. "Teske was everywhere and was tremendous protecting the rim and in ball screen defense," Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon said. "We built too big of a hole, and against a great team and you just can't do that. "A lot of it was Michigan's defense, but Bruno was over- pivoting and trying to shoot over Teske. It snowballed on us." Michigan's bench is not deep, with only six playing more than 20 minutes per game. Keeping them on the floor (and healthy) will be paramount. 3. Continue to play stifling defense. There's a saying in college basketball: "defense travels." When it doesn't, as was the case at Penn State when U-M lost by five in what Beilein called his team's worst defensive game in two years, there's always a chance for an upset. Michigan has great leaders on defense. If they continue to show up, U-M will have a shot against any team in the coun- try … as long as it doesn't lay a complete egg offensively. — Chris Balas Three Keys To A Strong Postseason