Back in the Mix: Wolverines are in the Sweet 16!
Well, things are going well for the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA tournament at the moment. Buckets are falling and they are holding the line on the defensive end of the floor. A simple formula that usually results in wins. They are not dominating the tournament stat sheet in any particular area, but they've dominated Montana and Florida on the scoreboard. There really isn't any more you need to know. But if you do, there are three other distinctive categories that do stick out to me. They help illustrate exactly how this team is playing right now.
As mentioned before, buckets are indeed falling for the Wolverines. The team is averaging 45% from the field. They are not living and dying by the 3-pointer like many Beilein teams have in the past. Instead, they are finding all types of ways to score, including but not limited to alley-oop dunks, sky-hooks, layups, tip-ins, and mid-range jumpers, all at multiple times throughout any given game. They are also hitting their free throws. Yes, you heard me. I am not making this up. The team is also hitting free throws. In fact, they are knocking down 78% of them as a team through the first two rounds of this tournament. As long as they keep getting those points at the charity strip then they will always have a chance to win those close games when they do come. I mean, let's face it: Michigan is not going to run through this field outscoring everybody by double digit points in every outing. In fact, I expect every game from here on out to be much closer.
Another good sign is that Michigan is averaging 14 assists per game. That is decent, especially considering how good of a scorer Zavier Simpson can be from the point. He himself is third in the tourney with 9.5 assists per game. That is elite. Overall, the guys are spreading the ball around well and making use of each other. This will get tougher to do against better teams with deeper benches, but it is a strategy they need to continue employing nonetheless. Again, as long as they all keep getting points at the free throw line then Beilein won't be forced to funnel the ball to guys like Jordan Poole so much late in games. Poole is the team's best free throw shooter, but he has had a tendency to make bad mistakes with the ball in his hands late in games, especially when teams know that it is probably going to go to him. It would be better to keep it moving around as much as possible and avoid any wasted positions due to predictability.
The one area where I would like to see some development in the next week is the bench. Isiah Livers is the only player that comes off the bench and makes a real impact, scoring 18 points and nabbing six rebounds in the tournament so far. If Michigan wants to get through the next couple rounds they will need to get a little more production off the bench. But who is ready to step up? Is freshman Colin Castleton or Austin Davis capable of coming in and gobbling up some minutes so Teske can get a little extra rest? Can Eli Brooks or David DeJulius give Simpson some extra time on the bench too? The guy could probably use it next weekend.
As mentioned before, buckets are indeed falling for the Wolverines. The team is averaging 45% from the field. They are not living and dying by the 3-pointer like many Beilein teams have in the past. Instead, they are finding all types of ways to score, including but not limited to alley-oop dunks, sky-hooks, layups, tip-ins, and mid-range jumpers, all at multiple times throughout any given game. They are also hitting their free throws. Yes, you heard me. I am not making this up. The team is also hitting free throws. In fact, they are knocking down 78% of them as a team through the first two rounds of this tournament. As long as they keep getting those points at the charity strip then they will always have a chance to win those close games when they do come. I mean, let's face it: Michigan is not going to run through this field outscoring everybody by double digit points in every outing. In fact, I expect every game from here on out to be much closer.
Another good sign is that Michigan is averaging 14 assists per game. That is decent, especially considering how good of a scorer Zavier Simpson can be from the point. He himself is third in the tourney with 9.5 assists per game. That is elite. Overall, the guys are spreading the ball around well and making use of each other. This will get tougher to do against better teams with deeper benches, but it is a strategy they need to continue employing nonetheless. Again, as long as they all keep getting points at the free throw line then Beilein won't be forced to funnel the ball to guys like Jordan Poole so much late in games. Poole is the team's best free throw shooter, but he has had a tendency to make bad mistakes with the ball in his hands late in games, especially when teams know that it is probably going to go to him. It would be better to keep it moving around as much as possible and avoid any wasted positions due to predictability.
The one area where I would like to see some development in the next week is the bench. Isiah Livers is the only player that comes off the bench and makes a real impact, scoring 18 points and nabbing six rebounds in the tournament so far. If Michigan wants to get through the next couple rounds they will need to get a little more production off the bench. But who is ready to step up? Is freshman Colin Castleton or Austin Davis capable of coming in and gobbling up some minutes so Teske can get a little extra rest? Can Eli Brooks or David DeJulius give Simpson some extra time on the bench too? The guy could probably use it next weekend.
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