Michigan basketball must do these 3 things to beat Texas Tech in Sweet 16
Orion Sang, Detroit Free PressPublished 9:00 a.m. ET March 26, 2019
Michigan basketball made it this far thanks to its punishing defense.
Now, it'll face a team considered its mirror image in the Sweet 16: No. 3 Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders have the nation's top defense, according to kenpom.com. Just behind them is Michigan. That's the way it has been for much of the season.
While Texas Tech bowed out early in its conference tournament and the Wolverines lost three times to Michigan State in the span of three weeks, both teams have still played well in the second half of the season.
Since a Feb. 2 loss to Kansas, Texas Tech has ranked as the nation's top team, according to Bart Torvik's T-Rank measure. Michigan is No. 2 over that time span.
Thursday's game will be a knock-down, heavyweight bout between two teams who know who to grind out a game with defense and enough offense.
Here's how the Wolverines can win in Anaheim, Calif. on Thursday night:
Avoid turnovers
Michigan coach John Beilein has preached all season about the importance of every possession.
His players will need to heed his words.
Texas Tech's defense forces turnovers on 23.1 percent of possessions, good for 15.1 per game.
This will be a battle of strengths — Michigan turns the ball over on just 13.7 percent of its possessions and averages just 8.9 per game, tops in the nation.
With how difficult it'll be to score the Red Raiders, the Wolverines value every possession. Points will be at a premium, and Michigan can't afford to throw away possessions — or worse, give up easy baskets in transition after turnovers.
This has been a sticking point for Beilein, who said after the Wolverines' third loss of the season to Michigan State that "you can't give away five or six possessions per game and say 'my bad.' "
His message then: Good teams value every possession.
He'll have to hope Michigan remembers that Thursday.
Don't fall into bad one-on-one habits
Michigan lost to Michigan State partly because of a fundamental inability to beat the Spartans' defense.
Thanks to center Xavier Tillman, the Spartans could switch screens 1 through 5, forcing Michigan's guards to beat Tillman off the dribble, hit tough shots from outside or take advantage of center Jon Teske's size advantage down low.
The Wolverines didn't have enough, which is why the offense eventually wilted away after a hot start — Tillman, who missed much of the first half in the third game due to foul trouble, changed the entire matchup simply with his presence on defense.
Texas Tech has the same ability to switch every screen, and the Red Raiders have a versatile center of their own in St. John's transfer Tariq Owens.
Owens, who is 6 feet 11, 205 pounds, is quick and long — a tough combination to beat off the dribble or shoot over. He's an imposing presence at the rim, with a 12.1 block percentage that ranks 11th in the country and second-best among remaining players in the tournament.
Michigan needs to avoid its old habits if (or when) Owens switches onto the guards. The Wolverines can't rely on isolation ball after switched screens. Michigan has already proven it can't consistently score or create when it goes one-on-one. The Wolverines have to keep the ball moving, stay away from too much one-on-one play and look more often for Teske, who could be a source for some easy points.
Slow down Culver
Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver is one of the best players in the country and leads the team in points, rebounds and assists.
Culver has the profile (and hype) of a future NBA draft lottery pick. He has plenty of athleticism, and has evolved into a dynamic scorer and distributor.
Stopping him will be difficult. But Michigan is uniquely equipped to do so. The Wolverines have one of the country's top wing defenders in Charles Matthews, who is both an elite on-ball and off-ball defender.
Matthews has the ability to erase a team's best player, as he did to Minnesota's Amir Coffey multiple times this season. Culver is better than any wing Matthews has seen, but this should be a solid matchup for Michigan. Culver carries the bulk of his team's offensive load, both as a scorer and creator, and slowing him down will go a long ways toward a victory Thursday.
Orion Sang, Detroit Free PressPublished 9:00 a.m. ET March 26, 2019
Michigan basketball made it this far thanks to its punishing defense.
Now, it'll face a team considered its mirror image in the Sweet 16: No. 3 Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders have the nation's top defense, according to kenpom.com. Just behind them is Michigan. That's the way it has been for much of the season.
While Texas Tech bowed out early in its conference tournament and the Wolverines lost three times to Michigan State in the span of three weeks, both teams have still played well in the second half of the season.
Since a Feb. 2 loss to Kansas, Texas Tech has ranked as the nation's top team, according to Bart Torvik's T-Rank measure. Michigan is No. 2 over that time span.
Thursday's game will be a knock-down, heavyweight bout between two teams who know who to grind out a game with defense and enough offense.
Here's how the Wolverines can win in Anaheim, Calif. on Thursday night:
Avoid turnovers
Michigan coach John Beilein has preached all season about the importance of every possession.
His players will need to heed his words.
Texas Tech's defense forces turnovers on 23.1 percent of possessions, good for 15.1 per game.
This will be a battle of strengths — Michigan turns the ball over on just 13.7 percent of its possessions and averages just 8.9 per game, tops in the nation.
With how difficult it'll be to score the Red Raiders, the Wolverines value every possession. Points will be at a premium, and Michigan can't afford to throw away possessions — or worse, give up easy baskets in transition after turnovers.
This has been a sticking point for Beilein, who said after the Wolverines' third loss of the season to Michigan State that "you can't give away five or six possessions per game and say 'my bad.' "
His message then: Good teams value every possession.
He'll have to hope Michigan remembers that Thursday.
Don't fall into bad one-on-one habits
Michigan lost to Michigan State partly because of a fundamental inability to beat the Spartans' defense.
Thanks to center Xavier Tillman, the Spartans could switch screens 1 through 5, forcing Michigan's guards to beat Tillman off the dribble, hit tough shots from outside or take advantage of center Jon Teske's size advantage down low.
The Wolverines didn't have enough, which is why the offense eventually wilted away after a hot start — Tillman, who missed much of the first half in the third game due to foul trouble, changed the entire matchup simply with his presence on defense.
Texas Tech has the same ability to switch every screen, and the Red Raiders have a versatile center of their own in St. John's transfer Tariq Owens.
Owens, who is 6 feet 11, 205 pounds, is quick and long — a tough combination to beat off the dribble or shoot over. He's an imposing presence at the rim, with a 12.1 block percentage that ranks 11th in the country and second-best among remaining players in the tournament.
Michigan needs to avoid its old habits if (or when) Owens switches onto the guards. The Wolverines can't rely on isolation ball after switched screens. Michigan has already proven it can't consistently score or create when it goes one-on-one. The Wolverines have to keep the ball moving, stay away from too much one-on-one play and look more often for Teske, who could be a source for some easy points.
Slow down Culver
Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver is one of the best players in the country and leads the team in points, rebounds and assists.
Culver has the profile (and hype) of a future NBA draft lottery pick. He has plenty of athleticism, and has evolved into a dynamic scorer and distributor.
Stopping him will be difficult. But Michigan is uniquely equipped to do so. The Wolverines have one of the country's top wing defenders in Charles Matthews, who is both an elite on-ball and off-ball defender.
Matthews has the ability to erase a team's best player, as he did to Minnesota's Amir Coffey multiple times this season. Culver is better than any wing Matthews has seen, but this should be a solid matchup for Michigan. Culver carries the bulk of his team's offensive load, both as a scorer and creator, and slowing him down will go a long ways toward a victory Thursday.
