Michigan Basketball: 3 keys to Wolverines beating Montana

Michigan is good at keeping the ball, the Griz are good at taking it away

If there is one stat that could tell the story of Thursday’s game, it might be turnovers. Montana is a solid defensive team, ranking 80th in points allowed and 65th in adjusted defense according to Kenpom. 

Those numbers are good, but what really makes Montana worrisome on the defensive end is its ability to force turnovers. The Griz are the 93rd best team in terms of total rebounding and that’s a big key too, but they are also 20th in the country in steals and 18th in forcing turnovers.

Creating turnovers is a great way to create an upset. However, when it comes to taking care of the basketball, few teams in the country are better than Michigan basketball. The Wolverines have the fifth-fewest turnovers in the nation and give it away just 9.1 times per game.

As far as this matchup is concerned, if Montana wants to win, it needs to force more than nine turnovers. The number probably needs to be in the 12-15 range and if the Wolverines turn it over fewer than 10 times, it’s hard to see how an upset happens.