Michigan Basketball: 3 Keys to Wolverines beating Northwestern

Defend the 3-point line

This is a matchup of Northwestern’s number one strength vs Michigan’s number one weakness. Defending the 3-point line has been a struggle for Michigan basketball so far this season.

The Wolverines are giving up 8.5 made threes per game and have given up 12 or more in a game twice already. That’s not going to cut it going forward in this season.

Michigan ranks 272nd in the country in opponent’s 3-point percentage. Teams are shooting 37% from three against Michigan so far. That is where their defensive struggles start and finish. Michigan ranks 3rd in the country in two-point defense so if they can clean up the defense against threes, they should be in good shape.

On the flip side, the three ball has been Northwestern’s strength this season. They rank 9th in the county in 3-point percentage at just over 41%. The 3-point shot is always the great equalizer in college basketball and it’s how a less talented Northwestern team has been able to compete with and even beat more talented teams this season.

The Wildcats have six high minute players that are averaging 40% or better from three this season:

Miller Kopp: 57.6%

Ty Berry: 46.4%

Boo Buie: 44.7%

Robbie Beran: 43.8%

Ryan Greer: 42.9%

Pete Nance: 40%

Michigan’s 3-point defense will have to be much improved in this game or their could be yet another upset in the making for Northwestern.