Michigan Basketball: 5 things we learned from win over North Carolina
Defense gets playing at a high level
Michigan basketball came into the game with some of the best defensive metrics in the country and after 40 minutes of playing against the Tar Heels, you can see why.
Yes, Michigan completely shut down Villanova and held the Wildcats under 50 points. That was fun to watch. However, what the Wolverines did against a North Carolina team that was ranked fourth in the Kenpom rankings going into last night was even more eye-opening.
.@JonTeske put together a block party tonight and the Wolverines forced 10 Tar Heel turnovers and added four steals of their own in the win!#GoBlue 〽️🏀 pic.twitter.com/buKTkciLEk
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) November 29, 2018
Even though the Tar Heels scored 67 points, a season high allowed by Michigan, they shot just 39 percent from the field. North Carolina was 7-of-21 from 3-point range and also turned it over 10 times compared to seven for the Wolverines.
Michigan basketball also notched six blocks, with five coming from Teske, who has become an incredible force inside. Michigan also recorded four steals, while North Carolina had just two steals and one block. North Carolina also shot just 13 free throws, while UM shot 23.
The Wolverines won’t find many teams with more offensive talent than North Carolina, so the fact that defense held up extremely well is a very good sign going forward.