Denver – No. 12 Seed UC San Diego’s upset in Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament. The 5-seeded Michigan men’s basketball team looks back to face another opponent who challenges the weaknesses of No. 4 seed Texas A&M. The Aggies are the most powerful offensive rebound team in the nation, taking a staggering 16 per game, while Wolverine ranks 34th in total rebounds per game.
The seven-footer duo of graduate center Vlad Goldin and Junior forward Danny Wolf have the height to clear the board, so the answer seems easy to Michigan, but the fight isn’t high. The tallest player who sees the Texas A&M floor is center Pharrellpain, listed as 6-foot-9.
This means that the Aggies’ aggressive rebound abilities don’t come from their height, but rather from their athleticism and desire for crash.
“It’s clearly the number one point in the scouting report,” Wolverines coach Dusty May said Friday. “The way we chose to attack it has some flaws that are not going well this year, like we did with turnover (opposite) UCSD.
Against another team in which another Michigan state had a large size advantage, Wolverine gave up 10 offensive rebounds with 11 seconds of chance points. This wasn’t a huge emphasis for Michigan on Thursday, but it proves that there’s work to be done in a short turn before the match against Texas A&M.
One aspect of the rebound game that could equally be attracting attention was helping guards rebound, reducing some of the pressure on the big and launching a faster break.
Additionally, Wolverine is tested by the depth and defense of the Aggies. Texas A&M runs a 10-deep lineup of players who play more than 10 minutes per game, and there’s time on the side too.
“Maybe, maybe,” Aggies coach Buzz Williams said when asked about the benefits of the Quick Turn. “I think this will be Michigan’s fifth game in nine days. This will be the second game in nine days. Will it play a role? I don’t know.”
With 10 deep rosters compared to Wolverine’s typical eight-man rotation, Texas A&M managed to put fresh feet into Saturday’s contest. But we can still see whether it plays a factor, like the question Williams raised himself. By this point in the season, all teams are beaten and abused to some extent. It’s purely about how they show up to decide who wins.
But it’s their defense that helps Aggie on that side. They try to give up on deep shots while stuffing them into paint and actively helping them. This fulfills Michigan’s goal of shooting a massive amount of three, but hinders Wolverine’s ability to get energy shocks on shots on the rim. This defense is particularly difficult for Michigan to penetrate, especially with tired legs, and if successfully executed by Aggie, it can turn that attack into one dimension.
“We’ve seen their type of defense before,” said Rubin Jones of the Graduate Guard. “There’s nothing we haven’t prepared. The coaches do a really good job preparing us for every game.
Just as UCSD did in the first round, Texas A&M introduces Wolverine to the unique aspects of the game. The rebound hasn’t been strong for Michigan throughout the season, but it’s going to be a little more zero on Saturday afternoon. I like what I see when it comes to fighting tired feet and interesting defensive philosophy. You will need to run to dismantle the Aggies in this second round matchup.
