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thewolverines24
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Michigan hosts Ohio State on Monday afternoon (noon, FOX) for a Martin Luther King Day matinee. The Wolverines have dropped five straight and eight of the last ten, while the Buckeyes have dropped their previous two, haven?t won a true road game in over a year, and have shown a troubling tendency to unravel in the second half of competitive GAMES. Will Dug play or just dress since we're at home? We'll get to learn more about his weird suspension today.
KEYS
Defend the scouting report: Ohio State starts two limited offensive threats in Mahaffey and Okpara. That means the defensive key for Michigan is to develop a scheme that turns those relative blank spots into advantages. Ideally, funneling some help from the bigs to slow down Thornton and Gayle?s shot creation while never helping off Battle.
Clean up the defensive glass: The Buckeyes have excelled at creating second chances. Michigan?s defensive rebounding has struggled at points this year, especially against teams that focus on crashing the boards with bigger players.
Find an offensive rhythm: Ohio State?s defense has produced almost every time out this season, reaching at least 1 point per possession in all but one contest. The Buckeyes are 11-0 when they allow less than 1.1 points per trip but 1-4 when their opposition tops that mark. Given Michigan?s defensive struggles, the most likely path to victory is topping that 1.1 points per trip mark and doing the job offensively.
BOTTOM LINE
KenPom calls this one a coin flip, predicting a 75-74 Michigan win and a 52-48 win probability. The Buckeyes have been one of the more inconsistent teams in the conference, but I?ve given up trying to guess what to expect from this Michigan roster any time they take the floor.
GO BLUE!
KEYS
Defend the scouting report: Ohio State starts two limited offensive threats in Mahaffey and Okpara. That means the defensive key for Michigan is to develop a scheme that turns those relative blank spots into advantages. Ideally, funneling some help from the bigs to slow down Thornton and Gayle?s shot creation while never helping off Battle.
Clean up the defensive glass: The Buckeyes have excelled at creating second chances. Michigan?s defensive rebounding has struggled at points this year, especially against teams that focus on crashing the boards with bigger players.
Find an offensive rhythm: Ohio State?s defense has produced almost every time out this season, reaching at least 1 point per possession in all but one contest. The Buckeyes are 11-0 when they allow less than 1.1 points per trip but 1-4 when their opposition tops that mark. Given Michigan?s defensive struggles, the most likely path to victory is topping that 1.1 points per trip mark and doing the job offensively.
BOTTOM LINE
KenPom calls this one a coin flip, predicting a 75-74 Michigan win and a 52-48 win probability. The Buckeyes have been one of the more inconsistent teams in the conference, but I?ve given up trying to guess what to expect from this Michigan roster any time they take the floor.
GO BLUE!
