Michigan basketball: Improving defense will be key if U-M advances
Michigan faces Villanova Thursday night in San Antonio with yet another Elite Eight berth on the line, a five-point underdog. Few are giving the Wolverines a chance to pull off the upset, but improving defense gives them a shot.
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Of the remaining Sweet 16 teams only two — Purdue (No. 89) and Miami (121) rank lower than Michigan (No. 77) in adjusted defensive efficiency. But Michigan has continued to move up after falling into the hundreds midway through the season, and they’ll need to be even better to beat the No. 8 adjusted offense efficiency team in the country Thursday.
Head coach Juwan Howard knows his team will need to take an even bigger leap to get past the Wildcats and either Arizona or Houston.
“We’re going to guard. We have to defend,” he said. “It’s a very good team that shoots the ball extremely well. They have great perimeter play. They do a really good job of playing one-on-one basketball when it comes to exploiting matchups. They’re very patient within their offensive sets.
“How we’ve drilled it throughout the season, back on July 1st, when we first got together … we built the habits on how to defend. There have been times when we’ve had slippage in our defense, but it’s going to be tested. And we’re looking forward … to playing against a competitive team. I trust our team is dialed in and ready to go tomorrow.”
The Wildcats will be patient on offense until they get the looks they want, often using pump fakes to draw fouls and get to the line. It requires great discipline to defend them, and it’s an area in which Michigan has improved.
U-M held Colorado State to 63 points and Tennessee to 68 in showing signs of getting it together defensively. ‘Nova is better, though, while Arizona is 7th, Houston 10th offensively.
“What we’ve done well is mental stability. Give our guys credit,” Howard continued. “There have been times in the first half when we’ve been down. There have been times in the first half when we’ve turned over the basketball because we try to make the right play.
“But to be able to know and understand that it’s a 40-minute game, trusting the process but being dialed in when a team makes a run, staying mentally stable. That’s where you have leaders on the floor. A guy like Eli Brooks, Hunter Dickinson — putting the guys together on their back and sharing with them about we’ve got to stay locked in and focused. Our time will come, but keep trusting, keep getting stops.”
Those are the types of conversations they have in the huddles, Howard said. It’s also why they’ve been able to finish strong in the last few games.
“The game is built on 40 minutes, and until that buzzer sounds, we’re going to keep competing from start to finish,” he said.
But he stopped short of saying his team was peaking at the right time.
“There’s always room for improvement,” he said. “I’m one of those coaches that [players] probably say together or in their heads that I’m always nitpicking. I’m one of those coaches that’s so dialed into the details and how we can improve, and there’s always room for growth.
“Going back, when you’re watching film and you’re seeing teachable moments in the game, whether it’s on the defensive side of the ball or the offensive side of the ball, on mistakes that we made … they’re fixable mistakes. That’s where I see where we can grow as a group, and I see there are areas that we’re going to always continue to keep working on so we can prepare to be a better ball club.”
Fifth-year senior Eli Brooks’ frustration boiled over earlier in the year when freshmen continuously made freshman mistakes. They stayed with it, though, and it’s a more tight-knit unit on the defensive end, one with much better communication.
“You look now at guys like Eli and Hunter [Dickinson]. it says a lot about these young men and how they are giving to the program, but also giving to the leadership,” Howard said. “I’m just excited to have a great team that works hard, plays the right way, high-character young men, good students in the classroom, and they’re just enjoying the college experience.
“People say, hey, this is a job; and I look at it, no, it’s not a job for me. This is something that I love doing. I love driving in, getting the opportunity to get in the gym, and learn from these young men and work with them.”
The hard work is the key, he added. They’ve put it in on the defensive end over the last few weeks, and it’s paying off.
Tomorrow is a different challenge for Michigan, but it’s clear the confidence is as high as it’s been all year.
