Michigan Basketball: 5 reasons Wolverines will beat Texas Tech

Zavier Simpson’s ability to handle defensive pressure

Zavier Simpson may not be an NBA superstar down the road or anything like that, however, when it comes to college basketball right now, there are few points guards better than him.

The junior guard for the Wolverines is certainly tournament tested. This will be his third straight season in the Sweet 16 and beating Texas Tech will require Simpson doing something like he did last season against Texas A&M in the same round.

Going into that matchup, there was a similar narrative. The Aggies were a hot team and one that thrived off length, athleticism and pressure. Yet, in that game, Simpson was the one who applied pressure, notching six steals, while also scoring 11 points and dishing out five assists. Most importantly, he had just two turnovers and his team finished with six in a Wolverines rout.

For the season, Simpson is averaging nine points, six assists and five rebounds and just 1.9 turnovers. Michigan basketball as a team has averaged 8.8 and if that number stays under 10, UM is going to have a really, really good chance of winning.