The Michigan Wolverines are riding high off their dominant win at No. 7 Purdue earlier this week, but they had to immediately turn their focus to another potential Elite Eight (or higher) matchup with the Duke Blue Devils.
A rare cross-conference class in late February gives Dusty May and his staff a taste of the madness that awaits next month. This one is going to be a lot of fun. Here are the three keys to victory for the Wolverines.
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Limit turnovers
If Michigan is careless with the ball, Duke is going to take advantage. The Blue Devils have the No. 3 defense in the country, allowing just 63.2 points per game. They also force about 13 turnovers per game. While Michigan’s offense is likely the best Duke will have seen this year, those are telling numbers for limiting possessions and making things uncomfortable for opponents.
The Wolverines like to play fast, and turnovers come as a part of that. At Purdue earlier this week, they had just two turnovers in the first 12 minutes, resulting in that absurd 48-32 score at halftime. No team can keep up when they’re playing efficiently, even in hostile environments.
But in the second half, Michigan had 11 turnovers, allowing the Boilermakers to bring the lead back to within single digits and win the half, 48-43. Time and time again, taking care of the ball has been the difference between this team being dominant or just really good. Easier said than done, but the Wolverines need to do all they can to be smart with the ball.
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Reign in Cameron Boozer
Earlier this week, Michigan had its toughest single-player matchup to date in Braden Smith. Dusty May executed a defensive game plan that completely shut him down for the first half (0-for-4 with zero points).
The Wolverines now prep for Cameron Boozer, the favorite for just about every player of the year award. The 6-foot-9 freshman is averaging 22.8 points and 10 rebounds per game while shooting 58.2 percent from the field and just less than 40 percent from deep. He’s been the most consistent performer in college basketball this year and has very few flaws to his game.
At the same time, the Wolverines might have the best chance of anyone in college basketball to slow him down. Not only do they have 7-foot-3 Aday Mara — the top shot-blocker in the Big Ten — to help in the paint, but they also have two other starting forwards in Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg to guard him from end-to-end. Their unique size is what has caused opponents problems all season, and it might be their best advantage against Boozer. If they can keep him under wraps, even for just a half, it could be the difference once again.
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Own the glass
Michigan attacked the offensive glass against Purdue, and it was a huge reason for that large lead at halftime. It felt like Michigan got second or third looks off a miss on every possession. As already mentioned, Boozer averages a double-double because he crashes the boards, so limiting his opportunities goes hand-in-hand with getting a man on him and grabbing the ball off a miss.
Both Duke and Michigan are top-20 in the country in rebounds, with the Wolverines outpacing the Blue Devils by a slight 41.5-to-39.7 per game average. Believe it or not, but that slight difference could play a huge role. In Michigan’s most dominant stretches this season, it owns the glass and continue to convert on the other end with its highly efficient offense. The more possessions this team has, the better the chance it can pull away in games against the best opponents.
There’s a world where whoever wins the boards also wins the game. Michigan has the length that should give it the advantage, but if Duke is competitive or wins the rebounding battle outright, expect this one to be going in favor of the Blue Devils.
