From the onset of this season, the No. 21 Michigan men’s basketball team has had two distinct troubles. The Wolverines have struggled to avoid turnovers and haven’t been as imposing as desired on the glass — two traits that have held them back from being as dominant as they might have wished.
While these issues have stopped Michigan from cruising through its schedule, they weren’t entirely debilitating as the Wolverines got off to a 12-3 start. But with those three losses coming by a combined five total points, the minute details like rebounds and turnovers became costly — and Michigan coach Dusty May knows it.
“Our rebounding has to improve,” May said Monday.
May put it bluntly when asked what’s at the top of his list for improvements, but all together the Wolverines have improved from their tough start on the glass. In nonconference play, Michigan ranked fifth among Big Ten schools with 39.1 total rebounds a game with some brutal stretches, including giving up 31 total offensive rebounds in its first two games.
Since then, conference play has started and the Wolverines have improved. They now stand second in the Big Ten in rebounds per game, and are stifling opponent’s offensive rebounding more than earlier in the season.
“We’ve got to be the aggressor when it comes to playing with physicality,” May said. “And we have the size and bodies to do it.”
This doesn’t mean there aren’t still issues — take the 15 offensive rebounds given up to Minnesota in the upset loss for example — but things are improving.
Michigan’s other main vice, turnovers, have seen an even higher degree of improvement since the beginning of conference play, going from 15.4 a game to 13.4. This moves the Wolverines up only one tick in the conference standings, from dead last to second to last, but two fewer takeaways is a big deal.
Those two fewer takeaways could be the difference in those one possession losses that Michigan suffered earlier in the season. Its offense is capable of exploding on any given night, but it has struggled to put teams away, letting its opponents hold on until late or even sneak a victory away because of its turnovers.
“No, it’s very realistic,” May said Jan. 12 when asked if single-digit turnovers (in a game) are obtainable. “… There’s a lot that goes into the way we play as far as those guys reading each other, and ultimately it comes down to reading the defense.”
The Wolverines have now gelled for 18 games, and that time spent on the court together seems to be cutting down the turnovers. As the team plays together more, the players are getting a feel for where each other will be and how to attack defenses without risking turnover. There is still room to grow, as bottom-of-the-Big Ten is not how Michigan wants to be described in any metric, but the downtick in giveaways in conference play gives hope for greener pastures.
With improvements in two key factors of the game, rebounding and turnovers, the Wolverines are cleaning up its game. While there are still games where the Wolverines haven’t played cleanly, like against the Golden Gophers, this general uptick will allow Michigan to put away teams easier and avoid losing tight ones quite as often.
The post Michigan cleaning up rebounding, turnovers in conference play appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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