Michigan Basketball: 3 things to watch for vs Arizona

Michigan will take on the Arizona Wildcats in the championship round of the Roman Main Event tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats enter the game 4-0.

This is most likely going to be the 3rd maybe 4th tournament team that the Wolverines have faced already this season. If Michigan can squeak out a win against a very tough Wildcats team it’ll set a fantastic starting point for the Wolverines moving forward.

The Wolverines defeated the UNLV Rebels in the first round of the tournament 74-61 in a very competitive back and forth game until the end. The Wildcats defeated a very good Wichita State team in OT 82-78 in a game where it felt like they always had control.

This is going to be one of the marquee games this afternoon for College Basketball as realistically this is a top 25 maybe even top 20 matchup. The game will start at 9:30 PM Eastern Standard Time which is truly a step up from starting at 1:00 AM.

These are some things that you need to pay attention to throughout the game. Some of these things are going to make and break the team’s success tonight and whether they come out with a win or with a loss.

1. Will turnovers continue to be a problem?

I probably sound like a broken record talking about turnovers but they are a very serious problem for this Michigan team this season. I can’t remember a time where Michigan has been so careless with the ball in transition and moving up the court.

The prime suspect in the turnovers is Devante Jones who has racked up 8 turnovers in just two games, being responsible for nearly half the turnovers against UNLV. DeVante needs to take better care of the ball if he wants to continue running point for the Wolverines.

It’s not just Jones at all, Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate have made very questionable passes that have led to turnovers or just straight-up turned the ball over. It’s growing pains for a new team and a new identity but they need to be resolved sooner rather than later.