Ohio State Cliffs Notes game plan
Michigan’s spacing is elite under Juwan Howard. Open shot after open shot all week.
— Aaron Douglas (@CoachADouglas) November 29, 2019
There aren’t too many holes in this Michigan team. It shares the ball well, shoots at a high percentage, rebounds, and takes care of the ball. There may not be a top-end superstar on the team, but the Wolverines go about eight deep and are elite on both ends of the court. If there’s one chink in the armor, it has to be the ability to shoot the three. Juwan Howard does a great job of extending players out with spacing even more than other teams and likes for his team to get to the angles that creates with dribble drives.
Look for Ohio State to sag off of the wing players a bit and make Michigan shoot the ball instead of getting in the lane and soft spots for high percentage looks. It’s easier said than done, and you can’t be so passive that the offense can dictate what it wants to do.
On offense, the Buckeyes will likely try to clear big man Hunter Dickinson out of the lane. Look for whomever he is guarding — whether it be E.J. Liddel or Kyle Young, to be out on the perimeter so that the Buckeyes can use their ability to get to the rim and kick when the defense looks to help. This game is probably going to be won by how well the guards play because of how both teams are put together.