Michigan preps for Northwestern club fighting for postseason berth
A year ago, Northwestern was a March darling.
The Wildcats, of course, made the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history and then scored a last-minute opening-round victory.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was there. The Big Ten literally made a movie about it. It was a big deal in Evanston, Ill. But now, things are a bit different.
Michigan (17-6, 6-4) returns home Monday night (7 p.m., FS1) to host a Northwestern club (13-9, 4-5) that's won two straight but is absolutely in the midst of fighting for a return to the NCAA tournament as February approaches.
"We've been able to get ourselves back in the conversation," Northwestern coach Chris Collins told reporters last week. "There's no margin for error (now).
"This is a big one and I know our guys sense the urgency."
The Wildcats have been one of the more interesting stories in the league this season: Northwestern brought back the core of its team from a year ago but hasn't been able to produce similar results thus far.
Northwestern's "Big Four" have produced on offense: Senior point guard Bryant McIntosh has seen his scoring average dip from 14.8 to 13 points per game, though he's still handing out 5.5 assists per night. Senior two guard Scottie Lindsey is at 14 points per game. Big man Dererk Pardon and forward Vic Law are both averaging double digits.
The problem for the Wildcats has been defense. Northwestern's down to No. 97 nationally in defensive efficiency. This is an issue when the offense, which does its best work when the Wildcats control the pace and limit possessions, has dipped to No. 59.
Defensive wrinkles
Michigan and Northwestern played just once last season, with the Wildcats winning at the buzzer in Evanston. In that game, Collins opted to switch on all ball screens and force Michigan's guards (rather than Moritz Wagner) to control the game.
Northwestern has mixed in some zone and three-quarter-court pressure recently in an attempt to slow things down. If the Wildcats play Michigan straight up, odds are they'll switch everything.
Which means Zaiver Simpson, Charles Matthews and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman are going to have to pick up where they left off against Purdue off screens. When switched against a big, they have to be willing to dive off the dribble to either find a layup for a big against a guard or finish at the rim.
Not many teams zone Michigan, as the Wolverines can put five shooters on the floor at all times, but it would force the Wolverines to make an adjustment.
Slow down
No two teams limit possessions in the Big Ten like Michigan (67.6 possessions allowed per 40 minutes) and Northwestern (69.7), which means every trip in this game is incredibly valuable.
Michigan leads the Big Ten in fewest turnovers per possession (14.7 percent). Northwestern ranks sixth at 17 percent, which isn't exactly a terrible number.
When Michigan and Northwestern play, turnovers and extra possessions (by foul or offensive rebounds) are huge. The team that takes care of the ball and limits extra trips will be in good shape.
First of five
This is the first of two Michigan-Northwestern games in a span of 10 days, as the Wolverines will visit the Wildcats on Feb. 6.
For Michigan, Monday's game begins an interesting five-game stretch: Northwestern, Minnesota, at Northwestern, at Wisconsin, Iowa.
All five of those are winnable games, even the two road trips. Michigan will be favorites in all five and, if this team wants to be for real, it will have to take care of its business during a stretch like this.
A year ago, Northwestern was a March darling.
The Wildcats, of course, made the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history and then scored a last-minute opening-round victory.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was there. The Big Ten literally made a movie about it. It was a big deal in Evanston, Ill. But now, things are a bit different.
Michigan (17-6, 6-4) returns home Monday night (7 p.m., FS1) to host a Northwestern club (13-9, 4-5) that's won two straight but is absolutely in the midst of fighting for a return to the NCAA tournament as February approaches.
"We've been able to get ourselves back in the conversation," Northwestern coach Chris Collins told reporters last week. "There's no margin for error (now).
"This is a big one and I know our guys sense the urgency."
The Wildcats have been one of the more interesting stories in the league this season: Northwestern brought back the core of its team from a year ago but hasn't been able to produce similar results thus far.
Northwestern's "Big Four" have produced on offense: Senior point guard Bryant McIntosh has seen his scoring average dip from 14.8 to 13 points per game, though he's still handing out 5.5 assists per night. Senior two guard Scottie Lindsey is at 14 points per game. Big man Dererk Pardon and forward Vic Law are both averaging double digits.
The problem for the Wildcats has been defense. Northwestern's down to No. 97 nationally in defensive efficiency. This is an issue when the offense, which does its best work when the Wildcats control the pace and limit possessions, has dipped to No. 59.
Defensive wrinkles
Michigan and Northwestern played just once last season, with the Wildcats winning at the buzzer in Evanston. In that game, Collins opted to switch on all ball screens and force Michigan's guards (rather than Moritz Wagner) to control the game.
Northwestern has mixed in some zone and three-quarter-court pressure recently in an attempt to slow things down. If the Wildcats play Michigan straight up, odds are they'll switch everything.
Which means Zaiver Simpson, Charles Matthews and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman are going to have to pick up where they left off against Purdue off screens. When switched against a big, they have to be willing to dive off the dribble to either find a layup for a big against a guard or finish at the rim.
Not many teams zone Michigan, as the Wolverines can put five shooters on the floor at all times, but it would force the Wolverines to make an adjustment.
Slow down
No two teams limit possessions in the Big Ten like Michigan (67.6 possessions allowed per 40 minutes) and Northwestern (69.7), which means every trip in this game is incredibly valuable.
Michigan leads the Big Ten in fewest turnovers per possession (14.7 percent). Northwestern ranks sixth at 17 percent, which isn't exactly a terrible number.
When Michigan and Northwestern play, turnovers and extra possessions (by foul or offensive rebounds) are huge. The team that takes care of the ball and limits extra trips will be in good shape.
First of five
This is the first of two Michigan-Northwestern games in a span of 10 days, as the Wolverines will visit the Wildcats on Feb. 6.
For Michigan, Monday's game begins an interesting five-game stretch: Northwestern, Minnesota, at Northwestern, at Wisconsin, Iowa.
All five of those are winnable games, even the two road trips. Michigan will be favorites in all five and, if this team wants to be for real, it will have to take care of its business during a stretch like this.
